Kids Scoop News - April 2016 by Sioux City Journal

SKY PICTURES

The ancient Greeks looked at the night sky and saw the outlines of animals and people. They gave names to these and told stories about them.

JUMPING FROGS

Learn about Mark Twain’s delightful story of the celebrated Jumping Frogs of Calaveras County.

MOTHER’S DAY

What do carnations, a lady called Ana Jarvis and President Woodrow Wilson have to do with Mother’s Day? Find out inside! WEST MONONA LOVES KID SCOOP NEWS

What is a Euro? A yen? A peso? Money around the world comes in different shapes, colors and names.

A short while ago, this conversation was overheard in a kindergarten classroom as the children were discussing a little about what makes their teacher a teacher… “My teacher teaches you math and centers and playing at the playground being friends.” “She is a grown up and she loves us.” Even teachers themselves have wondered what exactly does designate the best of teachers. There is this notion that the best teachers are all about lesson plans, organization, adherence to the curriculum, and classroom management. They have carefully gained the knowledge of content and honed in on technical skills that allow them to create interesting and well- drafted lessons. While all those aspects are important, the very essence of teaching is a bit more than credentials and experience. When children or adults reflect back on their own educational experiences, they seldom remark that it was a finely tuned lesson that did it for them. It is simply about their teachers caring, respecting, and noticing them. Teachers are the very core of what it means to be human. The best teachers are kind and they are compassionate. Children in their care are inspired to not only survive but to thrive in their educational communities. A good teacher has an inner voice that directs him/her to know each child as unique, to respect each child as a student and a human being in them care. These teachers guide young children to become doctors, scientists, artists, musicians, athletes, mothers, fathers, and responsible human beings. A great teacher allows the child to “not worry about the little things” and to problem solve situations where they struggle. He/she demonstrates daily to the children that it is all right to make mistakes, and learn from the experience. They share with the students their own love of learning and create an environment in the classroom that holds respect in the highest regard. We think our little kindergarten students hit it exactly right…the best teachers know their children and love them. They are “grown up” and have room in their hearts to share a little time with each child. KUDOS this next National Teacher Appreciation Week to all of those hard-working teachers who hold themselves to such very high standards.

NICOLE SCHWEITZBERGER

JEANETTE HOPKINS

NIE Director The Sioux City Journal (712)293-4224 nicole.schweitzberger@lee.net

NIE Coordinator The Sioux City Journal (712)293-4328 jhopkins@siouxcityjournal.com

facebook.com/NIESiouxland on the web at NIESiouxland.com To adopt a classroom, please call 712-293-4328

News: News Environment........................................... 3-6 ............................................................. 3 Spotlight: Spotlight: Mother’s Mother’sDay.................................... 7-11 Day ................................. 4-5 STEM................................................................. 9-10 Science: Sky Pictures ................................... 6-7 Goodbye, Winter................................................ 14 Health: Fitness Fun ...................................... 8-9 Health................................................................ 15-17 Animals: Jumping Jumping Frog Frog ................................... 18-19 Jubilee ................... 10-11 Legends: Puzzles Appreciation......................................... 20-23 ........................................................ 12 Teacher Calendar ...................................................... 13 Animals............................................................. 24-25 Animals: Wild and Crazy Moms .................. 14-15 Puzzles............................................................. 26 Money Matters: Money Around the World ... 16-17 Calendar ............................................................ 27 Money Matters.................................................. 28-29 Early Learners: letter U & number 3 ................ 18 Kinder Kids....................................................... 30-31 Book & Web Picks ........................................ 19 Lydia Prior, .................................................... Author........................................... 32 Cool Links 20 Family Page...................................................... 33 Family Time .................................................. 21 Answers............................................................... 34 Try This At Home .......................................... 22 Teacher of the Month........................................ 35

Lesson Idea of the Month ............................... 23 Answers ...................................................... 24

Cover photograph: maoyunping/Shutterstock

“IT IS THE SUPREME ART OF THE TEACHER TO AWAKEN JOY IN CREATIVE EXPRESSION AND KNOWLEDGE.” ~ALBERT EINSTEIN

he Monroe County Sheriff’s Office in Florida is more than a jail. It is also an Animal Farm. The Farm was started in 1994 as a place for homeless animals. The first animals were ducks and chickens that were causing problems at a local golf course. Next the SPCA in Miami called to see if they had room for a blind horse. Inmates in the jail built a pen for the horse and named her Angel.

Photos: Monroe County Sheriff’s Department

Today the inmates care for more than 150 interesting and delightful animals. The only paid employee is Jeanne Selander, Animal Farm Supervisor. She supervises the inmates and works to teach children about animals.

These days, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Animal Farm has birds, reptiles, rabbits, farm animals and even exotic animals. Albert is a 100-pound African spurred tortoise. When he got too big for a house pet, he found a home at the animal park. Albert is one of six African spurred tortoises at the park. Phoenix is one of a family of Patagonian cavies. Cavies are native to South America and are the second largest rodents in the world! Mo the Sloth is the most famous animal at the park. Mo and his owners had a mission to teach kids about rainforests. Mo continues this mission at the Animal Park. Mo is short for Molasses because he moves as slow as molasses. To adopt a classroom, please call 712-293-4328

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Snowflake the alpaca is loved by all the Park’s visitors. He loves to give kisses! Kelsie is a ringtailed lemur. She was a pet and started getting aggressive. “Exotic animals don’t make good pets,” says Jeanne. The Animal Park is a better home for them. Kelsie is like King Julian in the movie Madagascar and she likes to “Move It! Move it!” Boots the alligator is a favorite of visitors. When Jeanne puts a little tape around her snout, kids are actually able to hold this 2-feet-long reptile. According to Jeanne, the tape doesn’t hurt her. She has been at the park about three years and in that time more than 20,000 people have had the chance to hold and pet a real alligator! Would you like to hold her? © Vicki Whiting May 2016

4 healthy. I love to eat salad, veggies, and fruits. Today I tried sunflower seeds, cauliflower, celery, lettuce yum! and carrots. Trinity P.: I love plant parts. When my mom does the garden, I would plant with her. Drake F.: I ate all of the parts. It was all good. Brooklyn C.: The food was so yummy. I like the carrots and seeds. Lots of books were used to extend the detective’s food to table learning. The book Cotton to T-shirt showed how cotton plants are used to make t-shirts. The detectives were surprised to see that tractors are used to harvest the cotton! The book Corn led to the detectives discovering that many foods need corn products to be made! These included licorice, cake mixes, frosting and pudding! The detectives had to solve the riddle in the book “the apple orchard riddle”. They then enjoyed different varieties of apples. The book Time for Cranberries let the detectives learn how cranberries are harvested. They also enjoyed a drink and a cookie made with cranberries. Melissa Nelson, our Ag in the Classroom Teacher, focused on soybeans. The detectives made plant pals, which enabled them to see what happens under the soil! They also learned the importance of the soybeans getting water, sun, and air through an experiment. The detectives divided into three groups: one group put their soybeans in the light, another

group put them in their pockets and the third group put them in a cabinet and closed the drawer. The detectives have been observing the soybeans. The ones in the light are doing the best! The detectives have had several mystery foods. A food is placed inside a box and the detectives have to ask questions that can only be answered with a yes or no answer. They have learned quickly which key questions to ask! As the school year comes to an end, the detectives will come to the end of their journey having learned how their food gets from the farm to their tables! What a great journey it has been!

who was in a wheelchair, admired The teachers believe that the students their handiwork each season. Laurie’s are definitely eating more vegetables memories helped her to choose a and there is much less waste during vocation. lunchtime. Laurie shared that they have “My grandpa taught me everything. learned about the parts of the plant, “Planting the seeds” of an idea I would watch him and he would seeds, soil and composting in sessions often refers to the beginning steps have me work right beside him. We she has taught. Right beside us in the of any project, but with the Riverside did everything in the vegetable classroom during the interview were red Elementary School Community Garden, garden.” Laurie gives full credit to her wiggler worm bends, preparing to assist planting the seeds would be a literal grandfather, who she said gave her with the composting needed for fresh phrase. Organizers are looking the love and passion of gardening, produce. “The red wigglers can’t live forward to the second year of planning and the understanding that it is simply outside, so these boxes are needed and and production with students helping at hard work! “We even live in my the worm castings are collected and all levels of the project. Laurie Taylor, grandparents’ house, now.” used in the garden.” Coordinator for Master Gardener and Laurie loves giving back that passion for Community gardens are dependent Regional Food Programs at the Iowa upon the volunteer services of many. State University Extension Service, is the gardening to the Riverside students. “I enjoy teaching them to grow their own Many students and their families food guru for the Riverside Project and foods and working in the garden with at Riverside spend summer days she has invested numerous hours of hard their hands.” In fact, this Friday, the weeding, watering, and harvesting the work and passion towards helping the students at Riverside will be planting plants. staff, students and families achieve their their first fruit trees, cherry trees, near Any community member who comes dream of a school/community garden. the garden. It might take a while, but to help is welcome to take, usually a Along with her extension jobs of being soon the Riverside students will enjoy large bagful, of produce at the end the master gardener coordinator and not only vegetables, but mouth-watering of the volunteer time. Generally the the regional foods coordinator, Laurie cherries, too. group meets twice a week. is kept busy doing something she loves, This year, they have expanded some of We agreed with Laurie, there is nothing the garden. like fresh vegetables and fruit. We Laurie was inspired by her grandparents the vegetable beds. The gardens have been tilled, and the plan is to add more all loved the colorful veggies, but the and their love for the garden. Her rainbow carrots, more purple potatoes , rainbow carrots and purple potatoes grandfather had her work beside him and flowers to help with pollination. were a big hit with us! The Riverside in the garden while her grandmother, To adopt a classroom, please call 712-293-4328 www.NIESiouxland.com

Elementary School wants to encourage other members of the Riverside Community to stop by this summer and give a helping hand! You won’t regret it when you take home a bagful of fresh carrots, potatoes, lettuce, tomatoes, eggplant…and so much more!

Food Detectives: Ms. Siepker’s Fantastic Farm to Table Insights/Lawton-Bronson

This month found the detectives continuing to sample different foods; sorting and eating plant parts; using books to learn more about where their food comes from; and learning about soybeans. Seven classrooms, or 128 students, completed a journey of sampling different foods each week. Many of the samples were foods that the students had never tried before. After sampling the food, students were asked to share feedback about the food. Students also learned how some of these foods were made or harvested. Some of the foods sampled this month included: red bananas, mangos, blackberries, grapples and blue corn chips. Grapples quickly became everyone’s favorite food sample! Through a video, students learned that two cousins spent three years creating grapples! They combined their love of apples and grapes into creating this product. A

Riverside Elementary Expands Their Community Garden in 2016

grapple is an apple that tastes like a grape! The detectives watched how bananas get from the tree to their store. It all begins in Costa Rica. The bananas are first measured and when they are the right size, a worker cuts the bunch with a machete. This bunch of bananas can weigh up to 65 pounds. The bananas are then carried to a chain where they are attached to a hook and then pulled by a donkey to the banana plant. At the plant, they are washed, cut into smaller bunches, boxed and sent to stores. After reading the book “Plants Feed Me” by Lizzy Rockwell, the detectives sorted foods by what part of the foods are eaten. These parts included: the flowers, the fruit, the stem, the leaves and the roots. The detectives were given celery, carrots, sunflower seeds, cauliflower and lettuce to sort. After sorting and eating the foods, they were asked to write about eating plant parts. Here are some of their stories: Hunter B.: It was all good except the celery stick. It was not very good to me. Kate T.: I love to eat

At Kid Scoop News we continue to be amazed at the amount of planning and coordination this year long field of study took for Ms. Siepker and the individuals from other agencies. What a wonderful celebration of multidisciplinary teaching and learning. If you were to stop in this classroom and ask the students questions connected to the farm to table study, you would be amazed at the level of response you will receive…. and the study is not over! In the next few weeks, Tyler Flammang from the Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center will be conducting a session with these students on “How to survive in the wild….what you can eat!” We believe this takes the study to a whole new level. KUDOS to Ms. Siepker and all of the others who helped make this a one of a kind yearlong learning experience!

Feature Reporters Allison Nixa, Sierra Coon, and Maia Krogh

Contact Info for Community Gardens Laurie Taylor, Master Gardner Coordinator Iowa State Extension Office 712.276.2157 lltaylor@iastate.edu

This summer, as part of our Norm Waitt YMCA Summer Camp Connection, Kid Scoop News Siouxland ‘s feature reporters will

write about their experiences at the Dakota County Voices for Food Community Garden. According to Corrin Mikkelson, YMCA camp director, students will travel

weekly to the garden location to help with basic gardening needs as well as learn more about the garden to table process from HyVee dietitian, Corrinna Lenort. Both Corrinna and Corrin commented on how this particular project aligned with the YMCA core value statements of Social Responsibility, Healthy Living, and Youth Development. Corrinna mentioned that the more students are involved with the food system and when they identify different herbs and plants, the more they know about where their food comes from. In turn, this encourages them to try different foods, to explore and be adventurous in their taste testing. Corrinna will be teaching the

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students more about basic nutrition and diet during the summer camp session,. The Voices for Food Project is a regional concept and program found in several Midwest states. The Collaborative Learning Garden idea was spearheaded by Marion Cain, a master gardener who lives in South Sioux City. Produce from this large garden is distributed to various agencies and given to individuals who are in need of fresh produce . Always looking for volunteers, readers can contact Marion at 712.389.2478 and either donate time or money for the project. Kid Scoop News Siouxland staff will be working with the YMCA Summer Camp students connecting science, art, writing, and publishing. Students will be creating observation journals, where they can record specific changes that they note during their visits. A science journal teaches children to record and analyze data. They learn to use their senses when writing and the practice identifying and listing observation findings. Using the journal materials, students will write documented articles about the community garden. It is this type of cross -agency project that instills the love of learning and volunteering in students as well as increasing the likelihood that they understand the base concepts taught by instructors. We just think it’s pretty cool that the students will actually be learning in such a perfect outdoor

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classroom from experts like Corrinna and hopefully, Marion. Two of the HyVee Food Stores’ special programs, One Step and KidsFit, have given a jump start to the YMCA’s involvement. The One Step Community Garden Grants are awarded to organizations whose core focus teaches those in need about health and nutrition through the process of planting, tending and harvesting their own fruits and vegetables. Part of Corrina’s job is to assist with garden development and she is currently a member of the Dakota County Voices for Food Council in Dakota County, Nebraska. Corrin’s summer camp program generates a healthy lifestyle for students and the garden project and the general exercise part of camp tie in nicely with HyVee’s KidsFit program goals. KUDOS to all those involved with community gardens and with teaching others the power of working together! Contact Information Marion Cain Dakota County Voices for FoodCommunity Garden Project 1030 5th Ave. South Sioux City 712.389.2478

Raptor Transfer and Release Close to Home Feature Kid Scoop News reporters Willie Molzen and Katie Thelander, first grade students from Lawton-Bronson Elementary School recently met with Tyler Flammang, a project naturalist with the Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center. Tyler shared his love of birds of prey with the class and they can’t wait until he returns again. Soaring high in the skies this time of year are our local red tail hawks, kestrels, and various falcons which can be seen if one has the patience and the time to spend enjoying nature’s own birds of prey. The students had heard that Tyler was a volunteer who spent a great deal of time protecting these birds and they were excited to learn more about Tyler. Tyler was a graduate of Lawton-Bronson Schools and even had Ms. Siepker as a teacher. Wildlife rehabilitation is the treatment and care of injured, orphaned or sick wild animals so they can be released into the wild. The Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center is not a rehab center for these wildlife, but do help to transport and at times release animals and birds back into the wild. Willie: Tyler, Could you please share what you do at the nature center. Tyler: I am a resource naturalist. My job is two-fold. I help to maintain the center…things like changing lightbulbs, fixing doors, mowing lawns, and maintaining our hiking paths. I’ve only been here three months and there is so much more to learn. I also organize

educational programs for adults and students…so I get to be a teacher, too, and help with field experiences. Willie: We know that everyone has a story. Did you have any experiences when you were younger that might have encouraged you to be a naturalist? Tyler: I was hoping you might ask this as this is really my favorite question. I grew up on a farm north of here by Lawton. I lived in an area that was filled with wildlife..snakes, squirrels, birds….all the things that a farm kid would love. But, one memory sticks out in my mind..I was running around…frustrating my folks …and something caught the corner of my eye. It was a huge hawk…I sat there and watched that hawk for quite a while and then I wondered if that hawk was watching me? I wondered if I sat there for a long time, the hawk would sit there and watch me back? We sat there for 15 minutes and neither one of us moved…I felt a real connection and I knew that this was something I could be passionate about, noticing thing and listening to nature around me. Willie: Were there any teachers or classes in school who helped you make your decision to become a naturalist? Tyler: Actually, one experience I had happened right outside this window. (First grade classroom window) A Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center naturalist came to our class to do an activity on camouflage. We had to design a potato to be camouflaged outside…we could use rocks, twigs, grass…anything that would stick to it. Some of the kids had decorated them so well, I walked right past the decorated potatoes and didn’t even notice them. This made me realize how incredible nature was in terms of hiding things..and I really started to notice more outside after that. Willie: We have learned that you’ve done some work with the Wildlife Lodge and Clinic and the SOAR program. Could you share a little about that? Tyler: One time when we were kayaking over by Snyder Bend we saw

a whole flock of snowgeese…we wanted to get up close, and the flock flew away, all but one. I paddled up next to it, and picked it up. I didn’t want to keep it for a pet, as it belonged in the wild, but I wanted to see if I could find someone who could help it heal. This is how I got connected to SOAR (Saving Our Avian Resources). Tyler continued to answer Willie’s questions about being a naturalist and his life. Tyler shared quite a bit about the Wildlife Lodge and Clinic and SOAR. The clinic (www. wildlifelodgeandclinic.com) has the main mission of caring for, raising and releasing orphaned and injured wildlife that is unique to each species. Tyler is a volunteer for the clinic and helps to transfer and release the raptors. If a bird is injured significantly, they are sent to SOAR, where it is determined if the birds can go back out to the wild, or remain in captivity due to the injury. SOAR is like a long term care facility for our avian friends. (www.soarraptors.org) Kate had a few questions for Tyler, too, and she continued with the Nature Center’s responsibility when there is an injured animal. Tyler mentioned that they are not a care center. They try to keep any bird in a dark environment, and to keep them calm and quiet. They contact both of the above agencies and determine which would be the best spot. He mentioned again that they mainly transport any injured animal. Kate: What is your favorite part of your job? Tyler: Surprisingly, I love the speaking engagements…where I get to speak to small groups of even groups of 500. I never thought of myself as a public

hungry. Our school will be sponsoring donate to the hungry. a few plants in which the produce will Earth day (April 22nd) is a great day Did you know that the Mater Dei be donated to the Gospel Mission to to start thinking about, and begin garden will be helping the hungry this help combat hunger. The food from planning on what to plant in our school year? Our school garden is partnering these plants will be weighed so that garden. With the last known frost date with the Green Ambassadors Program, we know how much is being donated. for Iowa being May 15th, we won’t be which is sponsored by Mrs. Iowa Last year we had an overabundance planting any seeds or plants until after International 2016, Rosanne Plante. of cucumbers, and didn’t get to use all then. We want to give our garden the Rosanne is a master gardener here in of them in the school lunch. This year best chance of growth by waiting to Sioux City, Iowa. She helped us plant we are hoping for a good amount of plant until after that date. However, the very first plants in the garden, and produce from our designated plants so there is still so much to be done to get talked to the 6th grade class of 2014 that everything that doesn’t get used things ready!! First off, we will turn the about how to properly take care of a in the school lunch program can be soil in our box garden and add fresh garden. The garden was established in donated to help those in need. My compost and peat moss, to make sure May of 2014. As part of her platform family works in the garden almost every the soil has enough nutrients to feed our for her year of service, she is focusing week during the summer, and I can’t plants throughout the gardening season. on gardening and helping to feed the wait to see how much produce we will “Many hands make light work”, is a To adopt a classroom, please call 712-293-4328 www.NIESiouxland.com

Mater Dei Garden

speaker, but I really enjoy sharing information about nature. Kate: What is your least favorite part? Tyler: Every job has things that are not as much fun. I’ve learned to be thankful for anyone who has to do some of the things we have to do….cleaning up the bathroom, the picnic areas..the trails. We want to encourage people to first of all, clean up after their time at the center. I appreciate all of the volunteers that come out and help with so many different things. Kate: Is there anything else you would like to share with us…anything you’d like us to know? Tyler: I recommend that you all spend time outside. Learn to notice, listen and observe the natural things around you. Learn to “see” with your ears, and to sit very quietly while so many things will happen around you. You’ll begin to notice some very interesting differences in so many things…color, shape, size, and texture. Tyler finished his visit by sharing some of the raptor silhouettes from the nature center. The students were amazed at how wide the wingspan could be of different raptors. They learned that many scientists can tell what type of bird it is simply by looking at the outline of the bird in the sky. They learned that birds can fly because of the hollowness of their bones and the layers of feathers. There was so much more to learn that they asked Tyler to come back and share more about his job and raptors in the future.

fantastic quote for those who take care of gardens. We are so excited to have many families from our school that will be helping to take care of the garden this year. Many of the things they will be helping with will be things like weeding the garden boxes, and helping to stack the tomato plants and pepper plants, so they grow straight and tall. Another hard piece of gardening is thinning out the plants so they the sun can get to all of the vegetation. We welcome anyone who would like to help to come up!! Alycen Malenosky Mater Dei Grade 8 © Vicki Whiting May 2016

Read about how Mother’s Day started. Number the flowers to show the correct order of the story.

In the U.S., the idea of Mother’s Day was first suggested by Julia Ward Howe in 1872 as a day dedicated to peace.

One day each spring in ancient Greece, people held celebrations in honor of Rhea, whom they called the Mother of the Gods.

In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed a resolution establishing Mother’s Day.

In 1912, West Virginia became the first state to adopt an official Mother’s Day.

In 1909, Mother’s Day services were held in all 46 states plus Canada and Mexico.

In 1908, St. Andrew’s Methodist Church in Grafton, West Virginia held a Sunday service honoring mothers.

In 1907, Ana Jarvis passed out carnations at her mother’s church in Grafton, West Virginia – one for each mother in the congregation. She did this in memory of her own mother.

Circle the flower that continues the pattern in each row.

Julia Ward Howe, who was the first North American to suggest Mother’s Day, made another important contribution to U.S. history. Unscramble the letters to find out what she wrote.

During the 1600s, people in England celebrated a day called “Mothering Sunday.” On that day servants were released from work to spend the day with their mothers.

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MOTHERS DAY

8 Mother’s Day Thoughts from Mrs. Griffin’s First Grade Class-Johnson Elementary, Spencer My mom is special because she helps me clean, makes food for me, and because she loves me. I like to go to Adventure land with my mom. We like to play games together. I LOVE MY MOM! Erasmo My mom is special because she works at a school and is kind and special! My mom and I like to take pictures of things. We build things. My mom encourages me in sketching. She and I talk a lot about different things. Lillyan My mom is pretty. She plays with me. She colors with me. I love my mom. She is so nice. She is awesome! Lexie My stepmom is fun. She takes me to parks and gets me ice cream. I love her so much. She is awesome! Cameron T. Special Mothers’ Day thoughts from Ms. Junger’s Kindergarten Kids! (Hunt Elementary) My mom is special because she buys toys. And she helps me. I love you, Mom! I love my mom because she gets me stuff. Ozzy C. I like her because she lets me play minecraft. Lylli H. I love my mom because she takes care of me and gives me healthy food. Lylli H. I love my mom because I get candy. Daniel F. I love my mom because she gives us food and cares about us. Kandon T. I make my mom happy because I make her cards for mother’s day. Timera W. I love my mom because I was born in her. Matthew C. I love my mom because she is a teacher. Zavion W. Mrs. Bengford’s Middle School Students at Mater Dei Nativity My mom is the best mom ever! She cleans, cooks, and buys things for me. She helps me when I have problems and issues anywhere. Her cooking is amazing! My grandma makes good food so I see where she gets it from. She makes the BEST roast beef…and that’s just her cooking. She has so many more amazing qualities. When she helps me with homework she explains it so well that I know what to do in no time at all. She usually helps me with math. My dad tries but he doesn’t explain it as well as my mom does. These are the qualities of my mom, the best mom in the world! Kyle Martin Grade 6

My mom is pretty awesome! She makes all of my meals for my sisters and me and my brother, too. Her French toast is the best! And she also plans all of the family vacations. We have gone to Florida, Missouri, and this year we are going to North Carolina! My favorite trip was when we went to Wyoming and went to a rodeo. When we were there we met some Australians and they were going all over America. I don’t know what I would do without my mom. She is the one that makes me get out of bed every morning and makes me come to school. She is the best mom ever and I love her to the moon and back. Taylor Jochum Grade 6 My mom is the best! She is loving and caring. She is hard working because she cooks me what I like to eat, buys me what I want and need, teaches me what I need to know, helps me, and is amazing! Mother’s Day is the day we do stuff for our moms. We normally cook, love, care for, and help our moms on Mother’s Day. This day is a day we make our moms feel special and show them how much we love them. I love Mother’s Day! Jade Williams Grade 6

for hugs, doing work around the house for them, helping with your siblings or sibling, and maybe going on a walk. Maybe for dinner, you could go to her favorite restaurant. Mother’s Day is a day made specifically for them. So make it count! Greta Rosno Grade 8

games, board games, and card games with my brother and me a lot. She inspires me to do things many times. I might think it’s annoying sometimes even though I don’t want to do it, but I do it anyway. She is hard working with work and cleaning up the house. Ricky Cancino

I love to celebrate Mother’s Day. It is a day where you can recognize your mother for all she does for you. Moms don’t hear “thank you” as often as they should. They do so much for us like drive us around where we need to be, do all of the shopping, and all the cleaning plus have a full time job. They always tell us they love us at least 50 times a day. They are always there for us, but give us space to learn on our own. On Mother’s Day, we usually celebrate by giving our mom cards and presents. We also make whatever dinner she wants, which we usually grill. I know my mom always appreciates it when we clean up around the house. My mom also loves flowers and chocolate, but who doesn’t? Mother’s Day is only once a year so let’s make it about them! Jenna Rethman Grade 8

My mom makes the best cookies ever; I love it especially when I can smell them coming from the oven. I like it when my mom helps me with my homework. My mom is the best at being patient with people and me because she is a teacher. I like when she helps me clean my room. I wish that I was nicer to my mom because if she was not here I would be lost. It is so cool that she pays for my food, XBOX Live, tuition, and my sports. My mom takes me to school every morning. I love when she gets me Taco John’s for dinner. I like that my mom is always the first to ask how my day was. I like when my dad, my brother, and I get my mom flowers for Mother’s Day; she gets so excited. Ethan Gilmore

Happy Mother’s Day! Since you’re reading this, then you should find and Dear Mom, say happy Mother’s Day to your mother I just want to say happy Mother’s Day or special parent. They are kind, nice, and thanks for everything you do! I love and polite but also the best people in you so much and love everything you the world. They’re always there for you do for me and the rest of our family. when you need them. But they’re even You do mostly all of the cooking for there when you don’t need them. This is the family. Some of your cooking is what makes them the best people you delicious and other times it’s not the should know. greatest. But ,anyways I still love you They’re always happy, fun loving, very much. You also clean pretty much and caring. They will always be your everything you see. But, I guess that’s mothers, and they will never stop loving okay. You also teach me a ton of things and caring for you. No matter what like…laundry, cooking, cleaning, dishes, happens, they will think of something and too many other things to name. funny or positive to say. They cheer you Again, thank you for everything you do. up when you’re down because they I love you so much, mom. care, and because they love you very Anna Fenton Grade 6 much. Also, they will do what it takes to make you happy. May is the month of Mary, which means Noah Zeisler Grade 7 that it is also Mother’s Day soon! This is the day where you can thank your Mother’s Day is when mothers are mother for all the things she’s done honored by their children. Most of us and for all the things she’s given us give our mom flowers, chocolates, or you. Mothers are very important to us something like a car. We love our children. They comfort us, they tell us mothers no matter what. She is the they love us, they understand us, and one who loves us no matter what. We they cook good food. Mothers are very might have ups and downs, but we still strict as well. They teach us all the rules love her. She is one of the people who in life that we need to know. Mothers know you the best. Our mom cooks for will always be there for you when you us when we are hungry which is good need it most. because we can be energized and not Some ideas that you can do for your hungry. mothers are buying them a bouquet of My mom cooks Italian, Mexican, pretty flowers. You can also write a very American, Chinese, and French foods appreciative card to them saying you and sometimes even desserts. My mom love them very much! Another thing that is funny; she tells jokes and tells the truth you could do is to write free coupons in many funny ways. She plays video

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Mother’s Day is one of the most important holidays of the year. Without your mom you wouldn’t be yourself . She makes your breakfast and your other meals. She does your laundry. She drives you everywhere. She gets you up every morning. Who takes you wherever you want to go? Who feeds you? Who makes your meals? All of the answers to these questions are your mom; she does this stuff for you. You need to appreciate it. Do you do as much stuff for your mother as she does for you? That’s why we have Mother’s Day. It’s a day where we think about our mothers and a time to help her out too. Jaice Williams Mother’s Day is a great day to celebrate what your mom does for you. My mom drives me to all my events and she always has the best advice. My mom always makes brownies and my friends and I devour them whenever she makes them. My mom’s birthday is always around Mother’s Day so she gets even more love! My mom is not only a mom, she is also a grandma. She loves to spoil all of my siblings and me. Here are some ways you can treat your mom with love and support! On Mother’s Day you can make a present or you make your mom breakfast in bed. My mom loves it when we get her flowers. A lot of times we get her gift cards to her favorite places. She likes to shop at Target, Earl May, The Buckle, Kohl’s and many more places. I hope you show your mom all of your love for her! Braedyn Bentson © Vicki Whiting May 2016

MOTHERS DAY

This little gift is also great for any special woman in your life – your grandmother, an aunt, a teacher or a friend!

Cut out six flower petals, a center circle, stem and two leaves. On each petal, write a word that describes your mother. Glue a picture of your mom on the center circle. (Ask an adult for a photo that’s okay to use!) Write “I love you” on the stem. Glue the flower parts together. Mother’s Day is one of the most important times of the year. Without your mothers you wouldn’t be here. They do so many great things for you and most of the time they don’t get appreciated. My mom cooks meals for me all the time! If you’re nice to her and ask her nicely she’ll make you your favorite meal. Whose mom cleans around the house? Well, I know for a fact my mom does. Have you ever had a bad day and your mom was there to help you? Make sure on Mother’s Day to be nice to your mom. They do great things for us every day and being appreciative to them is the least we can do. Carter Weiland-Daube What are your plans on May 8th? Nothing? It’s Mother’s Day, take your mom out for lunch or get her a present. Make the day all about her. Think about what your mom does for you. She takes care of you; she makes sure you are at the right place at the right time. It’s the only day dedicated to your mother. Make it special! Your mom spends a lot of time thinking of you. This is a day to give back to her, let her know how much you love and care for her. What is your mom’s favorite thing to do? Don’t say laundry or dishes, because no one likes to do that. My mom likes long car rides, talk to your dad and set it up, my mom would love it. Just think of something that makes your mom happy. One more thing, get her chocolates, everyone likes

chocolates!! Emily Bracht Thinking of words to put on your Mother’s Day card? Well, you’re in luck because that’s what I’m writing about! I know my mom loves me very much and I never can think of good enough words to tell her! Here are some good ideas to tell your mom how much you love her! The words are thoughtful, sweet, loving, beautiful, hardworking, elegant, caring, funny, kind, best friend, forgiving, honest, happy, good, smart, and trusting! These are just a few words to describe our moms! We are so lucky to have them! They love us unconditionally! I hope you make a great card for your mom she will love it! Think of all the things she does for you! You could never repay her more than to tell her what you think about her! All these words I plan to tell my mom who I love very much! If you’re reading this I love you so much, mom, have a Happy Mother’s Day! Laura Murray

forget to give them a card, flowers, present, or a REALLY big hug. The best thing to do is make them a homemade card or gift. If you think about it, they deserve so much from us that you should probably go all out on your mom’s present. So this Mother’s Day, do something nice for your mom, because they do it all the time! Karlie Stoos A mother is a supportive, loving and hard working person. Mothers do tons of things for us kids and we should appreciate everything they do for us. So that’s why we have a special day to celebrate how special they are, and that’s called Mother’s Day! Mothers are the most important people in our lives and dads are a close second! They take us everywhere and buy us everything we want. Even though we should cherish them like every day is Mother’s Day, Mother’s Day is the day we should give them endless presents and treat them to something nice. Sometimes on Mother’s Day my sister and I bring breakfast in bed to my mom in the morning and give her some nice presents. Maybe you should do something nice like that for your moms, too! We should always be thankful for everything they do and cherish every day we get to spend with them. Isabelle Bertram

Mother’s Day is a day to appreciate what all moms do for us. Moms do almost everything for us; they cook, clean, buy stuff for us and they love and care for us. Mothers all over the world are loving, caring, thoughtful and supportive to their kids and family. They have so many responsibilities that hopefully everyone supports them. One thing is for sure, we need them and they need us. It’s that time of year, This Mother’s Day you should think Where we give a good cheer, of what they all do for us. Also, don’t To adopt a classroom, please call 712-293-4328 www.NIESiouxland.com

For our mothers and grandmothers. Who care for us and others. They do everything for us. They make sure we don’t cuss. They are the best. On Mother’s Day I think of them and not the rest. This day is very great, In every country and every state. They are of the highest rank. Our mothers we thank. Jack Van Hollan Let me tell you about my mom. My mom is the most amazing women you will ever meet! She is a fabulous lawyer and works very hard at her job. My mom likes to pull us off the couch and dance with us around the living room. She also likes to cook with us. My mom has had times where she forgot to put the water in the Easy Mac and it started smoking! After we got everything cleaned up we laughed and then decided it was best if I made the Mac and Cheese. Sometimes when my mom gets home from work, she and my dad will cook together, but if she’s not home yet my dad usually cooks. (Go Dad!) My mom loves my little sister Sidney, my little brother Collin, and me so much! I love my beautiful momma to INFINITY AND BEYOND 1,0000,000 times. My mom and I have this thing where if she says “I love you!” you always say “I love you more, to the moon and back 1,000 times.” So mom if you see this, I love you to the moon and back 1,000 times. Madi Koob © Vicki Whiting May 2016

MOTHERS DAY

10 Isn’t Mother’s Day awesome? It’s on Sunday, May 8th this year. Did you know that holidays similar to Mother’s Day date back all the way to the Ancient Greeks and Romans? Isn’t it amazing that this holiday dates back to so long ago? I love Mother’s and Father’s Day because we get to honor and love our parents like the fourth commandment wants us to. In America Mother’s Day was created in 1908 by Anna Jarvis. It wasn’t an official U.S. holiday until 1914. I love Mother’s Day because you get to give your mom all your love that day. Traditionally, you give your mom cards and flowers and other nice gifts. I usually give her a coupon book with a bunch of coupons for hugs and kisses from me. Ronny Vogt Mother’s Day is a special day celebrated in close to fifty countries around the world. Mother’s Day takes place on different dates in different countries. It usually falls upon the months of March or May and is always observed in United States on the second Sunday of May each year. It is a day honoring the mother in the family and also mothers in society. It is often celebrated with flowers, cards, and gifts. Anna Jarvis started the first Mother’s Day in the early 1900’s. Mother’s Day became a recognized holiday in 1914. It is a day to love and appreciate all the

things that women and mothers do in our lives and the world. We as family celebrated our mother by making her cards and taking her out for a nice meal and telling her we appreciate and love her. It is a truly special holiday. David Pithan Mater Dei Grade 8

Then we come home and serve her breakfast in bed and we let her open all the cards and let her eat. Mother’s Day is the time when you thank your mother for doing all that she does for you and you get to spend time with her, too! Hope Sokolowski Mater Dei

How awesome are moms?! I love my mom so much especially when she cooks me food. I call her lazy even when she’s not and I say that because when she’s done with work she would probably be tired and she would be in the bed relaxing or walking the dog. She takes me everywhere and I love that and she helps me with work and stuff like that! I give her a hard time but she still loves if I do. In the summer I play baseball and I’m on a travel team. My mom and dad always take me on the trips and they are fun. My parents support me, especially my mom. It’s great to have her and I would not ask for a better one! Vinney P. Mater Dei

My mother is amazing; she is always there for me. Whenever I get sick she will be there. When I need a ride somewhere, she’s there. She is hard working, and never gives up. Her cooking is the best I’ve ever had. She is creative, responsible, pretty, awesome, thoughtful, and much more. She isn’t a very good dancer… I learned that the hard way. My mother supports me, no matter what. I wanted to join tee-ball when I was little; she said yes and came to every game. I tried basketball one year, I wasn’t good but she still cheered me on. I started dance a while ago and she has never missed a performance or competition. I do volleyball and she is always there for me. If we lose, she just reminds me that we won last time or that we can win next time! I love my mother! Abigail Miller Grade 7

Mother’s Day is coming up! What do you like to do on Mother’s Day with your mother? My sister, dad, and I get up early in the morning and we go get her a nice breakfast and we get her Mother’s Day cards, and get her red roses (which is her favorite flower); we also get her nice cards thanking her for all the nice things she’s done for us.

Mother’s Day is coming up and we have to be prepared to surprise our moms with the best Mother’s Day we can offer! First of all, I want to tell you that our mothers are the best, they are the ones who cook for us, clean for us and

they care for us! They love us so much they would do anything for us; they would die for us if they had to. So for Mother’s Day, we should all plan a very special surprise for our mothers. We should first start her day by making her breakfast, making pancakes and making her hash browns with eggs and a nice cup of orange juice. This could go a long way for her. After a good breakfast, we should help her by doing her bed so she doesn’t have to hassle in doing it later. Then, FIX THE HOUSE! Moms love that! Do the dishes and clean the whole kitchen, this will make her job of cooking a lot faster and easier with an empty sink! Clean the counters, sweep the floors and get mom a nice appreciation card, or just make one. These are all ideas of course; this is how I would help my mom for Mother’s Day. How you plan your Mother’s Day is up to you! Good luck! Kevin Farias Mater Dei I know for a fact that my mom is most definitely the best person in my world. Let’s celebrate our moms with Mother’s Day! Even the toughest of people are disarmed when facing their mom. That’s not a bad thing because we give our mothers the utmost respect because they know what is best for us. Do yourself a favor and tell your mom how much you love her. Did you know that in today’s age, most of our famous business leaders

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are inspired by their mothers? It’s not because their mothers had successful careers, but because they supported them no matter what. Let’s not forget the care our mothers give us either. Whenever we’re hurt, they are also hurt deep inside and will do whatever they can to make you feel better. Also, remember that no matter how angry our mothers can get, they always continue to love us. Nico Ordonez Mater Dei Mother’s Day is almost here! It’s time to give thanks to the wonderful moms that we are blessed with. I’m sure that you would love to hear some facts about Mother’s Day. The first Mother’s Day ever celebrated was in 1908. But Mother’s Day didn’t become a national holiday until 1914. This was not too long ago! Approximately 122 million phone calls are made to moms on Mother’s Day in the United States. The most common flower for Mother’s Day is the carnation; pink and red for mothers who are alive and white for those who have passed away. Also, approximately 14 BILLION dollars is spent on Mother’s Day! Some of the things that my family does on Mother’s Day is we take my mom out to a nice restaurant and get her flowers. You could also buy your mom some chocolates or take her to the movies. If you don’t have any money to spend on her, you could always give her a homemade coupon book with coupons for a free hug, for a day where you are good, or a coupon for you to do the dishes or clean your room. So get ready because Mother’s Day is May 8th. Drew Topf Mrs. Sealey’s Sixth Grade Class from Holy Cross My mom is the best mom anyone could have. She can bake, pick people up, and also have a good time while doing all those things! I look at my mom as a superhero or even like a good song on the radio because when you’re down she can cheer you up. I hope you look at your mom like that or even better because that’s what they need on their special day. Carter My mom is awesome! My mom cares about the Earth and of course my family. She loves giving back to the community, especially our school Blessed Sacrament. She is the head PTO member. At home she cooks a home cooked meal every day. She is my role model and my superhero. I love her! Kate Maly My mom is the greatest person ever! She cares for me and really understands me. She spends quality time with me.

MOTHERS DAY

I love it when I am watching a movie with her because she picks out the best movies. She makes me feel really good about myself and that’s what makes her the best ever! Jacob Liewer My mom is amazing, and she does so many things for me. She helps me with my homework and cares for me when I am sick. Even when things get hard for her she still finds a way to take care of it. I love her not because she gets me things, but because she is an amazing person and cares for me whenever I need her too! Addison E.

I love my mom so much. She is the best! I love lots of things about her. I like her amazing cooking, and that even though she has had a long hard day at work she is always in a good mood. I also love her she puts our wants first rather than hers. Most of all I love how much she loves me! Erika Munchrath Special Moms from Mrs. Bank’s Second Grade Class at Clark Elementary My mom is special because she is nice. She always helps me when I am hurt. She makes me feel happy when I am sad. My mom is really good at making people happy. I love my mom! Adison G. Clark Elementary My mom is special because she loves me. She is always nice to me. She makes me feel happy when I am sad. My mom is really good at tennis and cooking. Noah C. Clark Elementary My mom is special because she gives me food. She always hugs me. She makes me feel happy when she helps me. When my mom cooks it always tastes good. My mom is really good at listening. Kaleb B. Clark Elementary My mom is special because she hugs me a lot. She always helps me up. She makes me feel happy when I am sad. My mom is good at cooking. Mar F. Clark Elementary My mom is special because she lets me hold my baby sister. She always cooks the best food ever. She makes me feel happy when I go up on stage for the concert. My mom is the best at everything! Braden B. Clark Elementary My mom is special because she makes me breakfast every morning. She always takes me to school. She makes me feel special when she reads to me. My mom is really good at cooking. Cale I. Clark Elementary

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Special Mother’s Day Notes from Mrs. Ortegren’s Third Grade Class at Hinton My mom is special because she bakes really yummy treats. When I’m hurt, she always helps me. Sometimes I ask her who her favorite kid is. She always says “all”, but I know it’s me! My mom is special because she always helps me when I need help, whether it is school, friends, home, etc. She always knows what to do and say. The special characteristics of my mom are that she’s caring, loving, and just a good mom. Sometimes we don’t always show it or say it, but we always love our moms. I know my mom is busy with three kids, but she does it all and gets us where we need to be. This Mother’s Day should your mom how much you love her! Ruby H. My mom is awesome because she is always thinking about others, like when she in the middle of something she always stops and does something for me! She is awesome like that. She is also caring, smart, nice, awesome, silly, and very supportive. She is the best mom I could ever get. Thanks, Mom, for all you do! Crayten S. Hinton Elementary My mother is special because she feeds me and helps me when I need it. What makes moms special is that they help you learn and help you with your homework. My mom is always caring and loving. Izzy D. My mother is special because she is nice and kind. She lets me get anything I want. What makes my mom special is that she practices my spelling words with me. She helps me with homework. The characteristics of my mom are she is funny, smart, and a good cook! Cyska D. My mom is nice unless I make her mad. She feeds me. She takes care of me. She even comforts me. I feel like she’s the best but that’s my opinion. She will play with me. She will help me. She will encourage me. I don’t know what I’d do without my mom. Even though she gets home at 5, she is still awesome! Jared H. Hinton Elementary My mom lets us go wherever we want to eat and shop. Moms are special because they have good kids. She is honest and kind. Gabby F. Hinton Elementary

My mom is amazing, smart, cool, awesome, lovable, and kind. She is the best mom ever. I love her so much! She is a math teacher, that’s why I’m so good at math. She the best ever!!!!!!!!!! Natalie N. Hinton Elementary My mom gave birth to me and my www.NIESiouxland.com

11 brothers. My mom is fun. My mom gives me stuff for school. My mom gets along with me. My mom is fair. My mom is hardworking. My mom is the very best mom! Evan S. Hinton Elementary My mom helps me with my math homework and my reading, too. My mom makes my brothers share their Playstation with me. My mom is awesome and kind, smart and honest, and she helps me learn new things. Michael L. Hinton Elementary My mom is special because she takes my sisters and me swimming, to games, and to movies. My mom works hard to sell houses. She’s caring, because she smiles and hugs us. My mom helps me save money. She makes my favorite pizza! Jacob S. Hinton Elementary What’s special about my mother? She makes awesome food, like her homemade pizza. She lets me do fun things. She makes it so we can go to fun places like Disney World and in June she made plans to go to Chicago. She lets me mow the lawn. She gets me supplies so I can do fun projects. Recently, she got me pegboards, pegs, and a green and black spray paint so I could make the pegboard look cool. Then I can hang it on my wall. That’s what is special about my mom. Will O. Hinton Elementary My mom’s name is Allison. She is the best mom ever. She is nice, kind, fair, and loves me very much. My mom is special because she buys stuff for me and makes me happy when I am feeling sad. Moms are special because they always love their kids and are kind and nice and fair. You should always love your mom. Hannah P. Hinton Elementary My mother is special because she does a lot of great things for me. She brings home food for us when she works late. I know that she works hard to care for our family and all of the patients at the hospital. My mom is always happy, and when I do fun stuff with her it makes me happy. So I think that my mom is such an amazing mom! Ava V.

12 The ancient Greeks contributed more than the Olympic Games to the world. It was in Athens that people first invented democracy, a government by the people, for the people. Ancient Greeks also contributed greatly to modern astronomy.

A huge dot-to-dot game is right above your head and you can play it on any cloudless night.

For thousands of years, people have looked at the stars in the sky and imagined shapes and patterns. The ancient Greeks saw that some stars formed groups that reminded them of people or animals or things like arrows and crowns. Today, we call groups of stars that make up pictures constellations.

The North Star or Polaris is not the biggest or the brightest star, but it is the most important. It stays in the same spot and can be used to find other stars. Travelers use it to find their directions when they don’t have a compass. The two stars at the tip of The Big Dipper’s bowl help you to find the North Star.

Lyra Look at the pictures of the constellations on this page. Find them in the star map you see here. Then, on the next cloudless night, look for them in the sky.

An ancient Greek legend tells the story of a beautiful woman named Callisto who loved her son Arcas. One day the goddess queen, Hera, became angry with Callisto and turned her into a bear. When Arcas went hunting he came upon a bear in the woods. It was his mother, but she couldn’t tell him. Arcas was about to kill the bear when the king of the gods, Zeus, changed him into a bear too. Zeus lifted the bears by their tails and swung them into the sky. This caused their tails to stretch and that is the reason the Great and Little Bears have long tails. To adopt a classroom, please call 712-293-4328

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Like civilizations that came before them, ancient Greeks gave constellations names. This one is a magical animal called Pegasus. Connect the dots to see what he looks like.

14 15 16

5 3

21 26 27

24 29

33 32

6 4 2

STARS ZEUS BEARS DIPPER COMPASS GREEKS NIGHT ANGRY SHAPES SWAN POLARIS ATHENS MAP SKY LYRA

CLOUD QUATRAINS

Quatrains are 4 line poems that follow any one of 4 different rhyme patterns: (AABB, ABAB, ABBA, or ABCB) Mrs. Paulsen’s 3rd grade classroom Now the race car is going slow. Next it is a wagon. from Woodbury Central It’s from the future, never mind Then it turned into a dragon! School . it’s from the past. Casey N. chose one rhyme pattern and And now it’s getting low. A cloud shape looks like a clown. created quatrain poems about how Kendra M. As big as an elephant, big and clouds create pictures in the sky. I look up in the clouds and I round. Aleks C. see a horse. It’s silent as a mouse. I see a bear in the sky. I might even see a bubble. It’s fun to follow without a sound. It is roaming through the sky. There might be a puppy. Talan B. The wind blows. That is in big trouble! I see a cloud shaped like a dog. Now it is a fly. Sam M. It is floating in the sky. Axton L. I see a cloud shaped like a boy. It is so slow. Tigers are doing the disco. I see a cloud shaped like an apple. It is trying to fly. Worms are doing the worm. It is filled with joy. Rylie P. Bears that can even sew. Now it turned into Snapple! I see a gator in the clouds flying by. Clouds that really squirm. Zoe M. Then there’s a frog and I am glad. Phoenix B. I see a bird in the sky. The gator goes away, and I sigh. I see a cloud shaped like a dragon. It’s just flying right on by. Then the frog goes away too, Now it changed and it looks like a wagon. Now I see a cloud. and I am mad. The wind changes it to a butterfly. That makes me proud. Kylie T. I see pictures in the sky. Trey A. I see the sun up in the sky. Aaron M. A cat is in the sky. I wish that I could be up that high. The race car in the sky is fast. Man, I wish it could fly!

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Find the words by looking up, down, backwards, forwards, sideways and diagonally.

W R P A T R V P A S

A L Y R A H A G T H

N A W S J M G D H A A N G R Y I V I E P

B S R A T S W P N E

G E Z E L D U P S S

T Q V B S K E E R G

P O L A R I S R Z W

M Y K S S A P M O C

A cloud shaped like a bird without a sound. And it’s turning really round. Wyatt F. A cloud plane floats by. I see the propeller spinning. The plane flies so high. I can imagine it winning! Katie L. There it is, up in the sky. Maybe you should try. If you carefully look, You might even see a book! Josie H. I see a cloud shaped like a ship. It looks very close by. The ship now looks like a chip.

The captain was saying, “Aye! Aye!”

Rylee V. The clouds are ruling the sky. They’re all over the place. It’s fun looking up at them. Some clouds float up into space. Emma K. Wind blowing, so many clouds! The clouds are very big.

It looks like a cat.

But the cat has turned into a pig.

Avery W. I see a fawn in the clouds. I see an apple in the sky. Next I see so many crowds. Then I see a pie! Zack B. The cloud is shaped like an ape. Then it has a cape. Now there is a dragon. He has a wagon. Ashton L.

I see a cloud it’s shaped like a cat. The cat looks like it’s wearing a hat. I look and it changes into a snake. Look! The snake is baking a cake.

C.J. H. I see a dog up in the clouds. Up, up so high. It has wings to fly with. I saw him fly by. Logan J. On one hot and sunny day.

I look up in a cloud and see a jay.

Then it turns to an eagle. That looks really regal!

GOODBYE, WINTER

After another 15 inch snow storm this spring, the students in Mrs. Goeden’s first grade class listened to the story Old Winter by Judith Benet Richardson. They brainstormed together in class all the reasons why Old Winter needed to head on out to Argentina and let Ms. Spring, Daff and Violet return so Spring can begin in this small town in the story just like we want it to return to North Sioux City! These are their persuasive letters written to Old Man Winter earlier this year.

Dear Old Man Winter, Please let spring come. Spring has to come so the rainbows can come. The hibernation needs to stop. The birds need to lay their eggs. I have put my sled away. I will paint pictures. I will play with my brother, Tyler. I hope I persuaded you. Your friend, Hannah Dear Old Man Winter, Please go away so spring can come. I want the flowers to grow. I want the white fluffy clouds. I want the sun. I want the butterflies. I want to ride my roller skates. I want to ride my bike. I want to go for a bike ride. I want to go to the pool. I hope spring comes. I want to play in my yard. I want my brother to play football and baseball. I want to play soccer. I want the leaves to go on the trees. Please Old Man Winter, Mrs. Spring is supposed to be here. Your friend, Alex Dear Old Man Winter, Please go away. Can you please go away so I can play soccer? Can you please go away so I can play t-ball? Can you please go away so the sun can come out? Can you please go away so the flowers can come out? Can you please go away so the butterflies can come out? Can you please go away so the birds sing? Can you please go away so the rainbow can shine? Can you please go away so the trees can grow? That is my story about Old Man Winter. Your friend, Nate Dear Old Man Winter, I want you to go away if not it

will get worse. I like rainbows. Butterflies need to fly. Sun needs to grow flowers. Park I don’t want to play park on snow football. I want to watch football. I want you to go away. Your friend, Austin Dear Old Winter, Can you please go away so spring can come? Because I can go swimming. Dear Old Man Winter, if you do not go it will be cold and the flowers will not grow. If you do not go the animals will not wake up. Can you go because I can play at the park and I can go to my grandpa’s and grandma’s cabin? Can you go south so me and my brother can catch lady bugs? Old Winter, please go south because I can play outside. Old Winter, please fly south because snow is cold. Old Winter, please go away because winter is cold. I hope you fly south. Your friend, Rachel Dear Old Winter, Can you get spring back? Can you get spring back and let us be great? Old Winter, can you get spring back so we can play? Old Winter, can you go so it isn’t freezing? Old Winter, can you go because people don’t like snow? Old Winter, can you go for vacation? Dear Old Winter, be kind. Can you go? Your friend, Ian W. Dear Old Man Winter, I like spring so can you please go away? Flowers come. You can play in the rain. We can go swimming. We can go fishing. Rainbows can come. I can ride my bike and eat ice cream. I can go to summer camp. The trees grow. Colors come. I can play sports. We can hear the birds sing. I like spring so can you please go away? Your friend, Adalie

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Dear Old Man Winter, Can you please go south? Leave so Mrs. Spring can come. The birds will be happy to lay eggs. The bears will be happy to dance. It will be a pretty season with colors. Mrs. Spring will be mad if you don’t leave. When you leave I will play with Violet and Daff. I will see you next winter. Your friend, Marlee Dear Old Man Winter, Can you please go away so spring can come? Please go away so I can climb trees. I want to plant flowers with my mom. I want to play soccer and t-ball. Please go away so I can go fishing and see rainbows and butterflies. Go away so I can ride my bike to the park. Please go away so I can roller blade with Alex. Go away so I can see the birds sing and sit in my bikini by the pool. Go away so the sun can come out. Please go away so I can see all the new babies and play in the back yard. Go away so I can see deer in my back yard and see bright colors, too. Please go away so I can see trees with bird eggs in the nest. Please go away so I can spend the night with my grandma. I hope I persuaded you. Your friend, Gracie Dear Old Man Winter, Go away I need spring. Because if you don’t people will not get to swim. I will not be happy and see the sun out. The flowers will bloom. And hop scotch and play t-ball. I hope I persuaded you. YOU MAKE ME SMILE. I AM GOING TO MAKE YOU BE MY FRIEND! Did I persuade you? Your friend, Kaylee Dear Old Man Winter, Can you go away? So we can grow plants and the sun is out. You wear shorts and play in water. Sometimes rain, too. So I can feel grass and take my shoes off. So I can see beautiful rainbows and listen to birds sing. So I can roll in grass. And that’s www.NIESiouxland.com

why I want you to go away. Your friend, Felix Dear Old Man Winter, Can you please go away so spring can come? I wish that spring was here because of the butterflies and the ladybugs. I want rainbows and bumblebees. I want to have fun outside. I want it to be sunny outside. I want dragon flies and rain. I want to climb trees and grow plants. Can you go away so spring can come? Your friend, Kinlei Dear Old Winter, Please go away. So I can play ball. I go fishing. I want to play outside. I like swimming. So I can play with my friends. So I can play with my dog outside. I hope I persuaded you. Your friend, Leland Dear Old Winter, Please go away. So I can play basketball. So I can play baseball too. So I can hunt with my dad. So I can shot my gun. So I can play in the back yard with no snow. So I can fish with my dad. So I can play with my hot wheels outside with no snow on my hot wheels and listen to the birds sing. I hope I persuaded you. Your friend, Aidan Dear Old Man Winter, Please go away so spring can come. I can play in my ditch. I can go fishing. New babies can be born. I can plant flowers. I can play with my bunny outside and the rain can come. And the rainbows. I can play at the park. Butterflies need to drink nectar. I can go to my grama’s house and see insects. I hope I persuaded you. Your friend, Ian G. Dear Old Winter, Please go away. I want to see the sun. I want to go fishing. I want to go hunt deer. Go away for I can hear birds sing. I can go to my awesome grandpa. I hope I persuaded you. Your friend, Cody

Dear Old Man Winter, Can you please go away so spring can come? Old Man Winter can you go so rain can come and a rainbow. So the sun can come out. So I can play t-ball. So the flowers and the butterflies come out. So I can go to the park and play with my friends at their house. That was my Old Man Winter story. Your friend, Chayley Dear Old Man Winter, Can you please go away so spring can come? We can play in the park. I can smell flowers. We can swim in the water. I can find fireflies in the dark with my family. Please go. Your friend, Kiara Dear Old Winter, Can you please go away so spring can come? If you do not like spring you can go to Antarctica. It is always snowing there. You can stay there until next winter. So I can play football and soccer. Can you please go away? Your friend, Hayden Dear Man Winter, Can you please go away so spring can come? I want the flowers to bloom! I want to see butterflies! I have soccer to do again! We need sun to play soccer. Please go away so I can jump on my trampoline. I love to play outside. We need the bears to come out of hibernation. I love to swim and sit on my trampoline in my backyard. My brother is going to go hunting. I can shoot with my grandpa. I can spin the net with my grandma. We can wear shoes and skirts. We can have fun in the sun. I like to see flowers. I like to swing. I want to feel the water with my feet and I want to feel the grass with my feet. I like to tan. I like to feel the hot sidewalk. I like to eat fruit. I like to play in the lake. Please can you go away so Ms. Spring can come? Your friend, Sophie © Vicki Whiting May 2016

, ur muscles stronger yo es ak m e is rc xe E 1. e right weight helps keep you at th ppy. ha and makes you feel uscle and exercise m a is t ar he r ou Y 2. strong heart makes it stronger. A ing to all your ow keeps the oxygen fl parts need dy bo r body parts. You thy! oxygen to stay heal se, your body makes ci er ex u yo n he W 3. dorphins (enchemicals called en emicals make ch DOOR-fins). These you feel happy.

Playing team sports is one way to exercise. But, you can also get fit all by yourself. Amy, Lisa and Trini each like to exercise alone. But their reflections are really weird. Can you find the differences?

Hank and Hugo are playing some one-on-one basketball. Add up the numbers on the basketballs to find out which player will win.

Who will win the race? Add up the numbers along each skater’s path. The one with the highest total wins!

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Hoeing, bending and digging keeps a garden growing and makes your body strong and healthy. Gerry’s garden is 6 feet by 6 feet. How many pepper plants can he plant if the plants need to be 12 inches from one another as well as 12 inches from the fence surrounding the plot?

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16 When you use a muscle to push against something, that is a resistance exercise. Resistance exercises tone muscles and keep them strong. They also strengthen your bones. You can get great resistance exercise by helping around the house! Here’s how: push a vacuum, rake leaves, move furniture, scrub the floor or even knead bread. Circle the kids doing a resistance exercise.

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KID SCOOP NEWS SIOUXLAND WRITERS SHARE A LITTLE ABOUT SPRING SPORTS! Baseball season is right around the corner! This baseball season is the start of my career. The main reason for that is because high school baseball is the start of your high school, college, and hopefully MLB career. The odds of me playing in the MLB are 11 in 100 or 10.5%. I am so nervous for this year because I will be playing in three leagues this year. The three teams I’m playing for this year are the Sioux City Thunder, a 50- 70 team, and the best of all, Heelan! The Sioux City Thunder is a travel team that was actually ranked 12th in the nation according the USSSA website. For the 50 -70 team, I have to wait for the draft. At that time I will be drafted onto a team. I will be playing at Strikers. Heelan will be the best time of my life. I will be playing with all of my friends. I will be trying out in May. I am hoping that I make the JV team. If I make the freshman team, I will work harder so I can go on to the JV team. This is why I can’t wait for Spring every year. Ben Dixon Mater Dei Grade 8 When I was 9 years old, my parents, and I went to Des Moines for the United States Specialty Sports Association Global World Series also known as USSSA World Series. The USSSA is a travel baseball association. The reason why I went down there wasn’t just to watch but to play in the series! I was with my Siouxland Stars team at the time. We were really good, and so were the other teams. The first night was opening night. We pin traded, and we had team introductions. The second night was finally the first games. We played against the Omaha Comets first, and trust me they were good. At the time they were ranked 15th in the state of Nebraska, and at the time we were ranked 7th in the state of Iowa. We ended up winning that game 8-6 Stars. We ended up winning all of our games, but one. We were playing the Ohio www.NIESiouxland.com

Sticks in the championship. I’ll tell you this, I have never been so nervous for a game in my life like I was in that game. The game started off great. We ended up scoring three runs in the first inning. In 6th and final inning, the score was 5-4, Stars. We scored four more runs and had the lead going into the bottom of the 6th 9-4, stars. They scored one run with two outs. So I’m catching and I will never forget this moment, bases were loaded with two outs, and 2-2 count. Here came the pitch, he swings, and our pitcher strikes him out. We won! We went home with big trophies and the happiness to know we won the World Series. Ben Dixon Mater Dei Grade 8 Volleyball is fun, As I love to run. I love volleyball best when it’s in the spring, Because I like to wear the bling! Volleyball is better with friends. When I hit the ball my arm bends. Volleyball can be tough, It may even be rough. Volleyball may be confusing, But NO accusing! Volleyball might even be easy, Sometimes it may be uneasy. Anna Fenton Mater Dei Baseball is a fun sport because you get to play with your friends. Baseball is an energetic sport because it involves a lot of running. The positions in baseball are left field, right field, center field, 1st base, 2nd base, 3rd base, pitcher, and catcher. I play pitcher, 1st, and a little bit of outfield. When you bat and hit it hard, you just need to run fast so you can get around as many bases as you can. You don’t usually want to watch the ball because then you start to slow down. If you watch it and it goes to 2nd you don’t want to watch it because you’re going to think that you’ll get out, but if you don’t watch it you don’t know where it’s at so you’ll have a lot of confidence. As you pitch the ball you want to throw a strike. It doesn’t matter how fast

or how hard you throw it, it just matters if you throw a strike. I’ve been playing baseball for 7 years. Nathan Lawler Mater Dei Do you like horses? Well, I sure do! In the spring and the fall I rodeo. When I rodeo, I do two events. I barrel race and I ribbon rope. When I barrel race, I go around three barrels in a certain pattern. This spring I’m using my sister’s horse, Pocket. He is super small! I’m using him because my horse is hurt. I will tell you how I do ribbon roping. In ribbon roping you have a runner and a roper. The partners have to be a boy and a girl. The roper has to rope a calf then the runner has to run after the calf (If the roper catches). After the roper catches the calf, the runner has to get a flag off of the calves’ tails. Then the runner has to cross the finish line; the partners with the fastest time win! My partner is Emmet this year but next year I will have Jack. That is my spring rodeo season. Taylor Jochum It was a nice summer day. I came ready to play. We had our first game. We cheer with fame. As the day went on, The sun was gone. It started to rain. There was no pain. For our second game, We weren’t lame. I got up to bat. I gave the plate a pat. Then whack, the ball flew. Then I knew. It was fun. It was a homerun. Recently at my school, Mater Dei, there was a sign-up sheet for soccer. Soccer is great and fun and full of excitement. I haven’t played for a long time but I think it will be fun. There are lots of things you have to do in soccer. I don’t know a lot about it but it seems really interesting. Almost all the boys in my class are playing it this spring so I think I’ll have lots of fun. © Vicki Whiting May 2016

17 I don’t know how good my team will be but at least we will try. I’m really excited because practice will start soon. I wonder which position I will play because there are a lot. I would like it if I played goalie but I wouldn’t mind it if I played defender. I hope I score lots of points this year. Jacob Salmen Mater Dei Grade 7 You smell the popping popcorn. You hear the crack of the bat. You see the fresh cut grass. That’s when you know baseball season is beginning. In April I play a lot of baseball. Travel ball starts up and we finally have our first tournament. I think our first tournament is in South Sioux City. My travel ball team almost won twelve of our about twenty games last season. This team we faced last season [Wayne] was about ten times bigger in size than our whole team. We play on two-hundred and seventy feet fields. For league baseball, we play on two-hundred feet fields. For league baseball, we play in Morningside at Pulaski Park, and in travel ball we play in a bunch of different cities. All my friends play baseball in the same baseball league as me. Baseball is my favorite sport so it’s awesome for me. Kyle Martin Mater Dei Soccer is a really fun sport. Guess what? It’s starting in April. I am really excited for it because I’m playing for my middle school. I will play for Mater Dei Nativity. We don’t know who our coach is yet, but whoever it is I bet they will be great. My pal Carter is going to try out for goalie, because he thinks he can stop anything. I personally am going to try out for defense. The reason I chose this topic is because I watch a little bit of soccer. Yet, I play way

more Fifa on my Xbox. My favorite team is Real Madrid with Cristiano Ronaldo. But my favorite player is of course Lionel Messi. FC Barcelona is having a really good year. Their record is 24-2, while Real Madrid is 19-4. I really like soccer and I hope you like it too. So overall, I think you should play soccer; it’s a really fun sport! Ryan Summerville Mater Dei Grade 7 April is the month when most kids are in sports! If you are in sports, what sports do you play? I run track, I do the 100m, 200m and the long jump. I also do soccer, I play defense and offense. When I first started to play soccer I was six years old. I wasn’t very good at it so I didn’t like it very much. I was always the one to sit out on the side lines and cheer for the others. As I got older and started to care more, I got better at it. Soon, I was one of the best players on the team! When I started track in 6th grade I was naturally good at it because my dad was a very good runner when he was in high school. I got a 13.1 on the 100m in 6th grade! Sports are an opportunity for you to get out and enjoy the nice weather in the spring time. Hope Sokolowski Mater Dei Grade 8 I like soccer. It is an okay sport for those who like to kick and run. If you are good with your hands you can be a goalie. You also have a team that will watch your back. It’s a big game all about team work. You have to be quick and play smart in order to win a game, and keep an eye on the ball so you know where it is. Communicate with your team to know what to do. Don’t be afraid to ask

questions about the game or the play. The most important thing to do in soccer is to have fun, make friends, and just do your best at the games. Noah Zeisler Mater Dei Grade 7 I can’t wait to stand at home plate looking into the outfield. That’s right; softball season is just around the corner. My first softball tournament for the season is on April 30th. That’s a good thing because it’s just a few days after my birthday and hopefully we win because that would be the best birthday present ever. The thing I’m most excited about is seeing my friends. Most of my softball friends go to Akron. So I’m usually playing against them in other sports. But in softball I get to play with them. Some of my other friends on my softball team I play with in basketball. I love all of my friends and I can’t wait to see them this softball season! Mariah Augustine Mater Dei Grade 8 Crack! That’s the sound of a baseball game starting up. In the month of April you will see a lot of baseball, mostly travel baseball because league usually hasn’t started yet as it starts in May. In baseball you meet so many new people it is so fun to play! You need so much stuff, like you need a glove, a bat, a helmet, batting gloves (if you want), and cleats. In the game it is very intense! In the game you will bat and field; so no matter what you are going to play! You get to play with your friends and meet new friends as well. Baseball is a very slow sport; you have to be patient in baseball. When you’re playing in the field you have to be ready no matter what; even if the ball doesn’t come to you during that play, you have to be ready! Keegan Flanigan

Hit, bump, spike. Volleyball is the sport I Like. Hit the ball over the net. You’ll score a point I bet. When you’re up to serve, Don’t work up a nerve. Get in position, And it’s as easy as addition. When you’re in a team, It may seem you are in a dream. If you say practice makes perfect, You are correct. Ryelle Stanek Mater Dei Grade 6 March Madness is one of the best times of the year. It is one of the biggest competitions of the college year. I personally am going for the Iowa State Cyclones or Villanova. But this year the final four for men’s was be held in Houston, Texas. If you don’t know how the tournament works then I will help you understand. There are 68 teams that are in a one game elimination. Eventually it all goes down to the final four which is in Houston, Texas. Hopefully, Iowa State wins but if they don’t good luck to the other teams. Why I’m picking March Madness is because I’m not very tall or very good at basketball but I still love basketball. I always make bets with my dad for the competition. Like who‘s going to score the most and who’s going to win it all. I can relax and just watch basketball in my room. Lately I have been playing a lot of basketball with my classmates for no apparent reason. I lose but I don’t care; I will love basketball forever. Fun is an instrumental thing that you need to have in your life. So is fitness, so what do you get when you mix these two amazing aspects of life, you get fitness fun! I try to stay as active as possible if I’m going out for sports. I play soccer and basketball year round and work out with my brother. I try to have as much fun as possible working out or playing sports. Sometimes while working out my brother and I play basketball for fun. If you love being active you shouldn’t have to incorporate things into workouts and sports to make them fun. If you love the sport you should have fun taking part in it. My favorite sport is basketball, but soccer is a close second. I love bettering myself but if you don’t, just try to incorporate something you love into it. Like say you like video games, you can say every thirty minutes you spend active you get thirty minutes playing video games. Or if you want to lose weight, you can say every one thousand calories you burn you can get one cheat day. to Jacob Maxey Mater Dei Grade 8

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Each year, thousands of people from all over the world get together to watch frogs jump. Why? It all started with a story. Here is a short version of ...

Once there was a man named Jim Smiley who liked to bet. He would bet on anything. He would bet it would rain, even if the sun was out. One day he found a frog. He named him Daniel Webster and he trained him to jump. Smiley went around betting his frog could out-jump any frog. For a long time he was right. He won many bets. That is, until a stranger came to town. The stranger played a trick on Smiley. The stranger told Smiley he would bet against him, but he didn’t have a frog. Jim Smiley offered to find a frog for the stranger and left Daniel Webster in his care. While Smiley was in the mud looking for a frog, the stranger fed buckshot (metal pellets) to Daniel Webster. When the frogs were set to jump, poor old Daniel Webster couldn’t budge and the stranger won the bet. To adopt a classroom, please call 712-293-4328

Mark Twain’s story has delighted people around the world for many years. In honor of Twain, the people of Calaveras County, California, include a frog jumping contest at their county fair each May. The Jumping Frog Jubilee now features more than 2,000 frogs competing over the four-day event.

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19 At the Jumping Frog Jubilee, each frog gets to take three jumps. Judges measure the distance the frog covers. Find 12 numbers in today’s newspaper. Glue one number in each of the boxes on the frog jumping paths. Add and subtract the numbers. The one who ends up with the largest number is the frog that jumped the farthest.

In 1928, the winning frog at the first Jumping Frog Jubilee jumped 1+2 feet and 4+2 inches. The current world record was set by Rosie the Ribeter in 1986. She jumped slightly more than 7+8+6 feet and 3+2 inches.

Standards Link: Number Sense; compute sums and differences.

At Leeds Elementary School, Mrs. Irwin’s fourth grade students were given survey questions developed by some feature reporters and Kid Scoop News Siouxland. The survey questions related to the 2015-2016 school year experience. Surveys are a method used to gain information from individuals based on a specific topic. Researchers use surveys in all aspects of life: medical fields, marketing, business, and many other special fields. Mrs. Irwin’s students decided they would like to use the survey format for finding out what specific parts of the school experience the students enjoyed and more importantly “why”. The feature reporters not only honed their interview skills, but learned about processing information from a survey. They took the following information and created a bar graph that indicated which school experience the students in Mrs. Irwin’s class enjoyed the most. Topic:

Favorite School Experience

Categories: Tallies Math 13 Reading 2 PE 3 History Project 4 Orpheum Visit 1 Partner Work 1 Writing 1 Room Displays 1 It wasn’t too surprising that the feature reporters To adopt a classroom, please call 712-293-4328

enjoyed analyzing the data (tallies) and indicating that Math is a pretty “super” subject in Mrs. Irwin’s class! Fifty percent of the students shared that math was their favorite subject and they enjoyed the hands on experiences in math class. Some of the sample responses include: Mrs. Irwin helps us to pay attention in class. Arayah We must try, try, and try again! Valerie She takes the time to sit with you and help in all the areas you need help. Marilyn I really like math because she teaches measurement and how to do data! Rigo She goes slowly through the steps…sometimes teachers go a little fast. Emiley Mrs. Irwin indicated to the reporters that she loves her job. She believes that a structured , consistent, and differentiated classroom is one where students will learn and have their needs met. She loves seeing their progress and seeing them grow as learners and young people. (She really does like math, too!) Feature Kid Scoop News Reporters: Ernesto G. Noah J. Kailynn T. Grace B.

their students’ lives and that teachers learn themselves about taking each day as a new day! Mrs. Irwin has a special statement that is shared each day in class. This statement is an affirming statement about everyone being a lifelong learner. We like the fact that she encourages us to see each new day as a “fresh and clear” day, meaning we can make the most of every new day. Mrs. Irwin is firm but fair. She has a great sense of humor and though she may be strict, she helps us see the funny side of things, too. We have learned to really love math as our readers can see in our survey so it’s no wonder that Mrs. Irwin’s favorite subject is Math. We love the hands on activities and games that help us to understand pretty tough concepts. We think Mrs. Irwin is unique and that we are lucky to have her this year and to find out that learning can be fun, serious, and lifelong! Thank you, Mrs. Irwin. Your Fourth Grade Students 2016

Feature Reporters Emiley Jackson and Kendall Puetz When interviewing Mrs. Irwin we could tell she enjoys teaching. She enjoys changing the lives of her students as they grow every year. She looks forward to coming to school and facing the challenges and the joys in every day. She believes that teachers impact www.NIESiouxland.com

TEACHER APPRECIATION

THIS MONTH WE HONOR OUR AREA TEACHERS AND SEND ACCOLADES THEIR WAY FOR THEIR HARD WORK, PASSION, AND COMMITMENT TO QUALITY EDUCATION. A FEW YOUNG FOLK SENT THEIR THOUGHTS OUR WAY ABOUT LEARNING, THE CLASSROOM, TEACHING, AND THEIR SCHOOLS! Mrs. Frerich’s First Grade Classroom from Akron-Westfield Why is my teacher is great? Because my teches allways hugs and teacher us very good and today she let us have a snack. and she lets us have flipflops on. (pj.day} Maddy (We think everyone should wear flipflops once in a while!)

Ms. Jennifer Schultz’s First Grade Classroom from Nodland Elementary Have you been in first grade? I love first grade. I love math especially double digits. Recess if a lot of fun, too. I play on Dreams of Magic. My teacher is very nice to me and helps me. First grade is the best! Noah First grade is the best! My teacher is Ms. Schultz. She teaches me to read and to add numbers. She lets me play Moby Max. She likes to wear Cyclone clothes. I hope next year is awesome, too! Liam Do you go to school? My school is Nodland. My teacher is Ms. Schultz. I love centers. We get to do math stuff. I really like the math puzzles. First grade is the best! Kate Do you like math? This year I have learned to add and subtract. I like to do this on Moby Max. I sometimes do Moby Max on my mom’s computer, too. Math is fun in first grade. I just love math! Ella Do you like centers? I like centers. We do a lot of things that are fun. My favorite center is reading. I like our poetry pages. I love centers. Vianney Do you like PE. PE is great exercise. PE helps me learn how to exercise. We do a lot of fun things. You have to listen to the teacher. These are some reasons I like P.E. Kolson

Mrs. Paulsen’s Third Grade class from Woodbury Central

I think my teacher is nice and she gives us gum. I think she is a good teacher and she explains math much better than my other teachers have taught me in the past. Trey A.

Mrs. Paulsen is a good teacher. I liked it when we she taught us to write a poem called a habitat rap. It was so much fun. She has taught me to be a nicer person and she gives us gum. Zack B. I appreciate my teacher Mrs. Paulsen, because she teaches cool writing. I liked it when we wrote about our families and made a family express train. She also gives good hugs and high fives. Wyatt F. I think Mrs. Paulsen is nice and kind. She gives us suckers and she also gives us gum when we do good on our mad minutes in math. She helps me understand math better. Josie H. I think my teacher is nice. She shows she cares about us. She is funny and she helps me with math and science. She makes me feel comfortable and I know I can always ask her for help. I like it when we have whiteboard Wednesday, too. Avery W. I appreciate Mrs. Paulsen because we do fun projects like when we wrote a fall poem about our senses and we got to paint a tree. She also makes math fun and I am doing better on division now. C.J.H. I like Mrs. Paulsen because she makes math fun. She lets us practice our flashcards and gives us gum sometimes. She helps me learn. I liked it when we wrote our poems about a big storm. Mine was called Twister. Logan J. I appreciate Mrs. Paulsen because she educates us and pushes us to do our best. I think she is nice and helpful. It is fun to have Froot Loop Friday! I think it is great that we get gum for our mad minutes in math too. Emma K.

I think Mrs. Paulsen is nice because she helps me do To adopt a classroom, please call 712-293-4328

better on my work. I like doing the poetry and projects. My favorite poem was when we made namebows. It was a cool rainbow that used words for our names. She helps me with Science and Grammar, too. Ashton L.

I appreciate my teacher Mrs. Paulsen because she explains how to do things and if we don’t understand she helps us. I think she’s nice too. She shows that she cares by pushing us forward to do our best work. She always tells us to show pride in our work. Rylee V.

I like Mrs. Griffin. Ok, let’s get going. Mrs. Griffin is cool because she is loyal and she has cool activities. That’s why she is cool! Cameron P. School is cool! We do math and I like that. I have a favorite teacher, Ms. Schimmer. She was my kindergarten teacher. She let us do free time at the end of school. Justine

School is cool! I like SMART because I like the games and the monkey bars. The treasure chest is special because there are toys. I like Mrs. Griffin because she is nice to me and helps I think Mrs. Paulsen is very me with work that I need help nice. She shows us she cares with. Math is my favorite subject by making learning fun for us. in school. Keegan I really like it in Math when we Mrs. Griffin is cool! Ok, let’s do fun games and activities like get going!! I like her because multiplication roll em’, flashcards, she likes science, activities, and mad minutes. It makes it and rocks! Hunter fun and we learn a lot too. She rewards us by giving gum, hugs, My mom is cool! She is a TA in and high fives. Katie L. Miss Skalla’s class. She helps me read when we read with our Mrs. Wolthuizen’s First Grade reading buddies. Lillyan class from Akron-Westfield… School is cool! I think Mr. My teacher is nice. Destiny H. Proctor is a good teacher because he teaches us about My teacher gives us snacks. coding. Coding is cool! Wyatt D. David I like playing games in p.e. I think Mrs. Griffin is the best Conner M. because when we fill the marble The teachers are nice. Berklie J. jar we get to do something fun. My favorite’s was pajama day! I like all of my teachers. Matthew Mackenzie J. I like Mrs. Griffin. She is a cool I like doing art, p.e., music, and teacher. She is loyal and she guided reading in my classroom has a treasure chest. Riley because they are all fun! Ginny Z. School is cool because it is fun. School is cool because you learn I like being at school and being a lot of stuff. It is cool because with my friends. Kaylee M. you have P.E. Andrayis I like Mrs. W. and my friends. School is cool! I like SMART Hannah L. because I love the monkey bars and the balance beam, too. It is I like writer’s workshop because I cooooool! The end. Mason like writing stories. Brealynn M. I think Mrs. Brandt is a good Ms. Griffin’s First Grade teacher because art if fun and classroom in Spencer, Iowa she has really fun activities for me to do. My favorite project I think Ms. Igou is special was making a Wocket in my because she is my TA and helps Pocket. Lexie me with my work. She took me to a carnival and I won a prize. I think my mom is a special high Ramiah Johnson Elementary school math teacher because www.NIESiouxland.com

she taught me math and now I am really good at math. Braden Mrs. Brandt is nice and I am glad she teaches me art because I need to learn art. My favorite project was Wocket in my Pocket. Erasmo Mom, I think you are a good teacher because you are nice to the kids and you help them. I can’t wait until I come to your school. School is cool because it is fun. Sincerely, Anna I was home schooled last year. My mom is my favorite teacher. My mom is special because she taught me to read. My mom taught me to count to 100. Thank you, Mom, for being my teacher. Grace School is cool! Mr. Martindale, I think you are a good P.E. teacher because you make us strong and healthy and give us activities. Tanner

Reflections of Second Grade in Mrs. Banks’ Classroom at Clark Elementary

I love second grade! This year has been so fun! One thing I love about second grade is Daily 5. My favorite Daily 5 station is the Nooks because I get to read stories, listen to stories, and play reading games. My second favorite station is computers. I like to do Headsprout on the computer because I learn lots of new vocabulary words. Another thing I love about second grade is learning buddies. My learning buddy’s name is Grace. I am so happy that she is my learning buddy. My favorite STEM activity we did learning buddies was learning about bridges. We had to design a bridge out of Popsicle sticks that could hold two rolls of pennies. Another good thing about second grade is that we earn stars that we can trade for prizes. These are the reasons why I love second grade. Avery P. Second grade is cool because Ron Demers came to teach us about weather. We also get to do Daily 5 where we learn all about reading, making words, © Vicki Whiting May 2016

and writing. Another reason is we get to do lots of experiments in science. A final reason why I think second grade is cool is learning buddies. Alex B. Second grade rocks! I love second grade because we do Junior Achievement with Mrs. Lilly. I also like Imagine it! because it helps me learn how to be a better speller and writer. Another reason I second grade rocks is because we get to do Headsprout on the computer. It helps me learn new words. Now you know three reasons why I love second grade. Rylee K. Second grade has been the best year yet. One reason is because of my learning buddy. It is fun to do all of the STEM projects with them on Fridays. Another reason is at Christmas time our class did a book report and created an ornament. My book was called Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree. I also like when my mom comes on Thursday afternoons and helps with reading groups. These are the reasons why I think second grade is wonderful! Marcella P. I think second grade is awesome because we can do reading games and listen to stories on the Nooks. You can do computer activities like Headsprout, which teaches you new words. You can do word work activities during Daily 5 reading time. These are the reasons why second grade is so fun. Cade J. I think second grade is a fun grade. One reason why is the cool science experiments we do in class. My favorite experiment was called Air Powered Rockets. Another reason why I like second grade is Junior Achievement because you learn many things and have fun at the same time. I also like learning buddies because the activities are creative and a fun learning +experience. These are three reasons why I think second grade is awesome. Reggie P. Clark Second grade is awesome. These are some things we did in second grade that I love the most. One of them is doing

TEACHER APPRECIATION

reading groups at the kidney table with Mrs. Banks! That’s when we read a book a do learning sheets to help us understand the book. Right now we’re reading Aunt Flossie’s Hats and Crab Cakes Later. I also like doing learning buddies because we always do fun projects! My learning buddy is Molly. She is really nice! The last thing I like doing in second grade is WIN time. That stands for What I Need for reading. We get to do reading groups during WIN time too. Now you know why I think second grade is so awesome. Juliana B. Clark

Reflections from Mater Dei Nativity-Mrs. Bengford’s Middle School Classes There is a class that does such a simple job and that is art where you basically can show off your skills. It’s not a competition, although many people like to see other people’s work and how good they are and to see how well people make their artifacts. Mostly in art you’d paint, clay or do drawings and all sorts of detailed artifacts for many people to see and be amazed by. There also are art contests where the winner has the best artifact. Art is pretty much powered by your imagination you need to try your best and be creative and original with your design. You can’t make artifacts without using your head. Jacob Lee Grade 6 My social studies teacher, Mrs. Fox, is the best! She always shares stories about her experiences and childhood. They are so funny and interesting! I always look forward to the next story she will tell. Whenever we talk about current events she is always up-to-date. She likes to talk about a variety of topics so all of my classmates can get into the conversations. She makes learning about social studies fun. It’s easy to understand everything that we learn because she explains things so well. She is creative and makes projects that have to do with the history we are learning about at the time. Sometimes she is lenient about when we accidentally take the wrong book or notebook which

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is nice. It’s sad that I won’t have her next year as my social studies teacher, but I won’t forget her and her stories. Ashlyn Murphy Grade 8

Have you ever heard of or seen Mrs. Bengford? She is the best teacher ever. She is very organized, funny, helpful, and nice. She gives out lots of treats and is very generous. We play Sparkles in class with her. Sparkles is a spelling game. She is phenomenal and hardworking! I haven’t ever seen someone who didn’t like her. Her full name is Andrea Bengford. I think that is a very pretty name. Her favorite color is pink. She is my 6th grade homeroom teacher. We have lots of fun in homeroom. In homeroom we do class meetings. They are super entertaining. Sometimes we even get to act out things. I think Mrs. Bengford deserves the best teacher in the world award! Hannah Fitzpatrick Grade 6 My favorite teacher is Mrs. Bisenius because she is so funny. She always makes our homeroom laugh and joke around all the time. We always appreciate what she does for us and we always care about her, but she is leaving this year and I don’t know what I am going to do without her. She is the best homeroom teacher because she always gives us magic treat day which is when we’ve been good. She says, “magic treat day!’ and we go up to her desk and get two packs of smarties which is so awesome. She is also awesome because in Religion she gives us no homework every day which is great because I don’t know if our next Religion teacher will do that. I am really going to miss you so much Mrs.Bisenius. Thank you for making my 6th grade year awesome. Madilyn Cramer Grade 6 I think my favorite thing about school would have to be the teachers. One of the main reasons for that would have to be because they’re always doing something to improve their students. I really appreciate them for that, because I don’t think I’d be able to go home every night with a boat load of papers to grade, but they do it www.NIESiouxland.com

without complaining once. I am very lucky to go to a school where there are not as many students, because you can get the help you need if you don’t understand something. My teachers are very amazing people, who don’t get enough credit for the things they do. Not only do they have their own homework, but they think about what would be best for their students. They are one of the most important people in a child’s life, because if they didn’t do their jobs, then kids wouldn’t get the education they need. A lot of people take their teachers for granted, but they make a big difference in so many lives around the world without even thinking twice about it. Every teacher has an impact on a child’s life without even realizing it. Some kids don’t get to experience going to school, while the ones who do often take it for granted. Going to school is a very big thing in a person’s life, because that’s how they get a good job. It’s an amazing thing to think that the teachers have helped so much in even just one person, who has gone really far in life. Dayton Bahmer Grade 8

It is May, and for a lot of us, school will end this month. This school year has been great: we’ve made new friends, learned new things, and our teachers have guided us all the way through. This month is Teacher Appreciation Month, a time to look back at the people who’ve helped us in our education. All of us have those teachers who have had a big impact on our lives. I have had many of those special people in my life. They encouraged me to do my best, and to never give up. They inspired me to use my imagination and talents for the good of other people. They trusted me, and they influenced me. In reflection, I think that we can all take a minute to look upon these teachers, and respect what they’ve done for us. Have a great summer! Howard Warren Grade 8 Every year we students are educated by some of the most patient and kind people ever known. These people are our teachers and they care for us no matter

what. This month of May is teacher appreciation month. These people are so caring that 91% of teachers buy supplies for their students. Also about 67% of teachers buy snacks for their students who they see are very hungry. They obviously love and care for us as their own and we need to appreciate everything they do for us as students. I know that sometimes we get frustrated in school then try to take out our frustration on our teachers. We need to treat them with some extra respect this month since it is teacher appreciation month. Teachers have some the most frustrating jobs in the world. But they love us so much that they put up with us every day of the week. These people are great and will push you to be the best you can be. Antonio Shaw Grade 8 My favorite class at Nativity is Mrs. Wolf’s literature class. We have covered topics like slavery, the holocaust, Edgar Allen Poe poetry, and even had experience with writing our own poems. In lit we have a bell ringer which is usually a question we answer with our partner about the topic we are discussing that day. I like lit class because if we are reading a complicated book or poem, Mrs. Wolf will break it down and make sure everyone understands it. My favorite thing I’ve ever learned about lit class is the holocaust. We’ve read the screenplay of Anne Frank and watched the movie. We have also got to see an interview Oprah had with a holocaust survivor at Auschwitz. Another thing we were assigned to do was read the book Night over the summer and complete a packet with questions. I have learned so much from Mrs. Wolf. I am sad this is my last year here with her. She is the best teacher I’ve ever had! Liz Albenesius Greade 8 Is there a teacher at your school that you look up to? At Mater Dei Nativity, a teacher that I look up to is my religion teacher, Mrs. Bisenius. Mrs. B is one of the funniest people I’ve ever met. She can make anyone laugh with one of her cheesy jokes, or hilarious stories. Mrs. Bisenius © Vicki Whiting May 2016

TEACHER APPRECIATION

22 inspires everyone at Mater Dei. She is deeply connected in her faith, and helps her students to grow in our faith every day in her religion class. She makes her class fun and informative. Sadly, Mrs. B is ready to call it a career. She has been teaching for 32 years, and is ready to retire. She has taught many different grades and subjects, and says that all of them have been her favorite. Mrs. Bisenius touches everyone she meets. She has the Godgiven ability to make anyone having a bad day smile. She has always been one of my favorite teachers, so I know the effects of her cheesy jokes first hand. She always told us that when she was done at middle school, she’ll have standup comedy jobs lined a mile down the street. Mrs. Bisenius has definitely left her lasting mark on the Bishop Heelan community, and we’ll miss her greatly. Kennedy Bork Grade 8 My teachers are amazing! All teachers teach, of course. But my teachers make learning easy. Almost everything we learn in school comes easy to me because my teachers make my learning fun and interesting. Even math is fun sometimes! When we have questions, they always help. When we have problems my teachers always help us sort things out. If the problem is in or out of school they will still always be there to help. Sometimes we have problems with our friends and the teachers always make things better between us. Especially my counselor! Overall, my teachers are super nice, kind, helpful, and caring. I’m so thankful to have such great teachers! Ryelle Stanek Grade 6

We have all kinds of fun things we get to do because of our great teachers. Our literature teacher and our librarian do an after school book club called Novel Quest, and at the end of the year we compete against each other in a competition with questions from the books we read. Our English teacher has us write a story every year and we get them published for only one dollar per book. Our history teacher does quiz bowl and trivia. In music we got to do a piano unit, which was really fun. Our band conductor does jazz band and scale offs, which is an after school band group where you practice scales and things like that. Our math teacher does math club and our Emmaus teacher does guitar lessons. Our teachers are great and I couldn’t imagine having anyone else! Lily Graham Grade 6

Favorite memories of 6th grade with Mrs. Sealey at Holy Cross I loved 6th grade because it gave me a glimpse of what was coming in 7th and 8th grade. The teachers are great and the classes were fun. One of my favorite memories from 6th grade was when I was asked to sing for the Life Team rosary. Another favorite memory was being able to be in Life team and doing fun projects. Sixth grade was my favorite school year so far, but I am looking forward to what’s to come. Alainna Joly Grade 6 One of my favorite things about 6th grade was that we got an honor roll slip with our grade point average. We also got to be in honor club which is an activity you go to after every quarter. We went to a movie and roller skating. I liked the service group, Life Team. The Life Team bought Christmas gifts with our own money for people that were not going to get Christmas gifts, and that made me feel very good. One of my favorite things were my teachers and classmates. My teachers challenge us and are nice and supportive. My classmates are some of the funniest people I

All of the teachers at our school are so awesome! They are all very nice and always help us to learn new things. All of our teachers care a lot about all of the kids and want the best for all of us. We all love our teachers and there are lots of things that we get to do that we might not have been able to do if we didn’t have them. I’m going to tell you a little bit about some of them. To adopt a classroom, please call 712-293-4328

know and they make it worth going to school every day! Luke Payer Sixth grade is amazing! I’m really happy that I can finally call myself a middle school student. One of my favorite things this year was the volleyball tournament. After our class lost we started a student section with the 7th graders. We were playing music and doing the wave. We stormed the court after the teachers won. It was amazing! The most surprising thing was how athletic the teachers were! Grant Hegarty I liked 6th grade because I felt more free getting to classes without the teachers. I also liked the journey we went through with our own class. I also felt like we were being role models for grades 3-5. We did a lot more activities as a class, and I liked our competitions throughout the year. The teachers were strict, but we still had a good time. Like all journeys, it has to come to an end, but this journey was memorable so it won’t just end, it will stay with us! Carter Ritz

Ms. Mitchell’s Third Grade Class from Lawton-Bronson

My teacher helps us. Keshaun E. Without my teacher we wouldn’t have anyone to talk to when we have problems. Hope D. My teacher taught me how to multiply. Isaiah R. My teacher taught me how to be a good student. Ethan B. My teacher taught me how to do book reports. Brek C. My teacher taught me how to write stories. Caler G. My teacher taught me tricks to make division easier. Lane B. My teacher taught me about writing narratives. Jocelynn O. My teacher taught me about soil and minerals. Avery M. My teacher taught us how to be kind to one another. Makenna J. My teacher taught me how to pronounce hard words. Nick D. My teacher taught me how to be nice to people. Lana L. www.NIESiouxland.com

My teacher taught me how spell and read better. Dalton R.

because Mr. Dennis is the best PE teacher. Logan M.

My teacher taught me how to write in cursive. Addison S.

Why my school is the best… Lawton-Bronson First Grade

My teacher taught me about maps in social studies. Eli S.

Lawton-Bronson is the best. I like school. I like PE. Mr. Dennis teaches PE. I like Ms. Siepker. She is the best of all the teachers. I like when we sample with Ms. Siepker. I love the teachers in school. Trinity P. I like PE because we have fun in it and we play games. I really think that our school is the best school. I really like the teachers here. I like this school. Kaylee M. I like teachers because they do fun stuff like experiments and I’m glad that teachers don’t do boring stuff like sitting and staring. Leo S. My favorite day was when we all got to hold the butterflies. Colton K.

In spelling, my teacher taught me about homophones. Bryce S. My teacher taught me how to multiply. Parker B. My teacher taught us how to listen. Sophia J.

Ms. Siepker’s First Grade Class from Lawton-Bronson

Ms. Siepker is a science person. She loves science. In the beginning of the school year, we had butterflies in our classroom. We got to let them go. That was fun. Everyone was happy, but now since Ms. Siepker is retiring we have to say bye. She will probably still be around, but we won’t get to see her as much as we do now. I’m not surprised that she is retiring. I only think that teachers at least go up to ten years, but Ms. Siepker has gone 37 years of teaching. That’s a lot! She has the most calmest voice when we are rascals. Kate T. I like Ms. Siepker when we do math and reading. It is fun in Ms. Siepker’s class. I learn a lot and when we test food. It can get fun in Ms. Siepker’s room. Ms. Siepker can get crabby, but I still like her. I like in Ms. Siepker’s class when we watch the Decorah eagles. Natalie M. Mr. Dennis stories from Lawton-Bronson First Grade Mr. Dennis is the best PE teacher in the world because he switches everything in two weeks. Sometimes we get to do hockey on scooters. Sometimes we get to do baseball. Sometimes we get to do tag. Sometimes we get to do foursquare. Sometimes we get to do catch. Sometimes we get to do balloons. Drake F. Mr. Dennis lets us do fun stuff. He is the best teacher ever! I like him. Everybody likes him. I like math. I am good at it. It is fun. I do not like the hard ones like 30+90. Those are the hardest. Brody S. My favorite part is PE. I like PE

Math is my favorite part of the day because sometimes there are easy problems and sometimes I have to think so hard I want to scream! Josie Z. Mrs. Neswick’s Fourth Grade Class at Riverside Elementary shares appreciation notes! My school is special to me because my relatives went to this school when they were young. My great grandma went to this school and her two daughters. My aunt also went here. When my grandma and my aunt were in third grade my great grandpa started going to this school and they all went here until 5th grade. That’s why this school is special to me. Brianna Jackson My school is special because it is small. Everyone knows everyone and instead of having 3,000 kids we just have about 300. My school is also unique because we have a beach. The beach is a place where students go to, work on reading to self in a quieter place than there class room. The wall behind the beach is painted like a beach and on the beach you sit on couches, and beach chairs. Another reason my school is special is that every year the kindergarteners get to hatch eggs. That is why I think my © Vicki Whiting May 2016

school is special and I hope you do to. Sylvia Parker If you appreciate anything or anyone in the school who or what would it be? I appreciate my teachers because they always help me and all of us, when we get confused. They

TEACHER APPRECIATION

always teach things to us that I didn’t know about. One more reason is because I know for a fact, they will help us with our math. Okay, now you know why I appreciate my teachers. Kalla Harris I appreciate my teacher

Mrs. Hobbiebrunken’s Fourth Grade students at Clark Elementary shared a few of their thoughts about Clark Elementary, their classroom, learning, and their special teacher.

We like our friends and our teacher the best for this year. We’ve had a fun year and Mrs. Hobbie has helped us to learn and grow! She lets us work with partners and do special activities in math. Elise and Talan We did a math lesson with M and M’s….that was tasty and fun! We like that Mrs. Hobbie never yells, she is patient with us and an awesome teacher to have. Eli and Luke We really like our learning buddies and well, most of our subjects. Mrs. Hobbie makes learning fun by giving us games that help us to learn. We really like the whole day because it goes so fast, it wouldn’t go fast if it wasn’t fun. Building windmills was the best! Sidney and Caleb Mrs. Hobbie is the best, but so is P.E. It’s tough to choose. We like recess and P.E. and we like being in this room! We like how Mrs. Hobbie helps us with our math when we don’t understand and did we mention that we really like P.E., too! Hunter and Noah Building windmills was the best project ever! It was fun and we felt really creative. Mrs. Hobbie makes us feel

After the book Stand Tall Molly Lou Melon was read to the Clark Elementary first grade students in Mrs. Wassel’s class, the students

discussed a little about how Molly Lou’s grandmother had given wonderful advice, and then compared how she supported Molly to how Mrs. Wassel supports and encourages them. It takes a special grandmother to show how important it is to believe in yourself and it takes a special teacher to do the same. The following are responses to some discussion questions given by the first grade students in Mrs. Wassel’s class. What is the best part of your day? I love lunch and talking to my friends. Lyndi S. Silent reading time is the best. I love reading. Brock C. Storytime…you simply get to read! Makenna M. I like recess and seeing my friends. Isabella W. What does your teacher do to make this such an awesome class? She shows us how to do math and the Smartboard! Emma B. She treats us when we do well and are helpful. Chloe L. She gives us books to read..games to play. Paige J. She lets us play “Around the World.” Devin A. To adopt a classroom, please call 712-293-4328

because, she is nice to us, and she reads a book, like the book is coming to life! She turns math into a really cool experience, when she gets really happy everyone smiles, even me. When it’s a special day she doesn’t get so frustrated. I like it when she

smiles on a bright sunny day, we have fun with her every day, even today! Melody Medina I appreciate my teachers because, they help me with my math and reading. If I don’t get what I am reading they say it is too hard. They count

safe and she is understanding if something is wrong. She gives us extra help if we need it! Gabby and Caleb Even though Mrs. Hobbie is strict, she is fair and we understand why we need to have rules and behave. We get to do special projects and our favorite was the windmill project...you should see our windmill project. Mrs. Hobbie really teaches well and makes our room perfect. George and Elliot We loved the Kid Wind project where we got to watch the motion with fans and learn about energy. Mrs. Hobbie will give us hints about what to know and then advice if we don’t understand something. We like the happy bucks for good behavior and then have fun at the auction. Art is great at this school, too. Mrs. Hobbie is not a mean boss, but a great teacher. Jacob and Mr. Dake We all love the science experiments and when we get to be outside! The Kid Wind project was the best. Mrs. Hobbie really keeps us in line and she lets us outside when our motors are running…she gets our motors running to learn, that is pretty awesome. Max and Cam We like math and P.E. Math is fun and we need to know math. P.E. is just awesome. Writing is one of the favorite things to do. Mrs. Hobbie is really nice and

What do you need to learn in class? We need our math journals, to draw things like a bar graph. A.J.H. We need our writing journals for stories and sentences. Judah H. You need courage-if something is hard in your heart, courage will tell you that it is all right, that you can do it. Courage is so important. Claire J. What do you like about your room? We have birthday animals that sing! H. We have computers and math games. Winston P. I like the art materials and table. J.

Evan

on me when I think I can’t do it. They help me work all of my problems out. If I need to work on something they will get the time to do that. So that is why I appreciate my teacher. Also they are great leaders and great teachers. Hollie Johnson

sometimes she gives us hot cocoa. Who doesn’t like hot cocoa? Zach and Addi Mrs. Hobbie tells us that we are all good kids. She helps us to do better by being creative and loving us. Cadence and Thomas We love starting the day by seeing our friends and our teacher. Everyone in our class is accepting and kind, though we have off days, we have learned to be accepting. We liked the history project in fourth grade and being creative. Mrs. Hobbie might be strict but she is fair and fun to be around. Maryn and Chris We like our class. The teacher is nice and comforting. Kid Wind was the best class. Carter and Zack We don’t just use the book, we use materials and activities outside of the book. We like that. The History Day projects were fun and so was Kid Wind. When we have bad days, Mrs. Hobbie makes them better. She helps us when we don’t understand and she is patient. She admits her own mistakes, which makes it easier for us to do the same. Ava and Patison We think everyone really liked the Kid Wind project and working on windmills. Mrs. Hobbie makes learning like

I would sit by you at lunch and say, “Welcome,” to you. I’d share the rules and show you around. Kyler I would play with them at recess. Aaron T. If the teacher was gone and you were the sub….what would you do? I would teach you math and math problems. Andrew K. I would teach you to read and to sound out letters. Kellen D. I would help you with math, count up and count down. Howie M. I love music and would have people sing! Hayden E.

Ian

What was your most interesting project/activity this year? I love the music programs. Ryan F. I like science. I liked the rocks and sorting. Boston P. P.E. all year is fun and full of activity. Andrew H. I loved the science experiments. Harper J. If I were new to this school, how would you make me feel welcome? www.NIESiouxland.com

24 Which animal would you like to be your mom? Motherhood means different things to different animals. Read about how these animal mothers care, or don’t care for their young. Which animal mother would you like to have?

It is not uncommon for a sheep to simply abandon its lamb. Farmers often have to bottle-feed lambs.

Donkeys’ mothers may be the most devoted of all. They will not let any other animal come between them and their babies. Even if a curious, little kitten comes close, a donkey mom will chase it away.

Help the little lost sheep find the farmer with the bottle.

Find the differences between the mother donkey and its foal and their reflection in the pond.

Use the numbers 4,5,6,7,8,9.

Make the top row of eggs equal 6. Make the sum of the middle row of eggs equal 16.

Make the sum of the bottom row equal 17.

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www.NIESiouxland.com

Sometimes a goat will abandon its kid. Usually a farmer does not have to bottle feed the little critter because another nanny goat will step in and adopt it.

Adoptions can also be seen in the chicken coop. Some hens will sit on any eggs that happen to be around.

25 Underwater Moms

Frogs and fish moms generally lay their eggs and forget about them. Fortunately, once the eggs hatch, the tiny tadpoles and baby fish can survive on their own. In fact, one of the predators they have to watch out for is their own mom! Find 8 things in the pond that don’t belong. Standards Link: Life Science: Different animals reproduce and adapt in different ways to survive; classify objects.

“Animal Moms are Special, Too!” Have you ever seen or held a newborn puppy? How about a baby monkey? You might have seen the mother of that animal, too. These mothers are protective and love their babies. They raise their young with care and kindness. If you look up “animal moms” on Google, you’ll find really cute pictures of lions and their cubs, polar bear families, monkey parents and their children, and many more! One time I went on trip to the Omaha Zoo with my family, which is a great place to visit. We were in the jungle exhibit and I saw very cool animals. In the trees, a mother monkey was carrying her baby on her back. Down below, a hippo mom was sleeping with her two children. Animal mothers are the best, and I suggest visiting a zoo to see them up close! Sarah Engle Mater Dei Grade 8 May is the month for moms so I’m going to tell you about animal moms. My pet Irish is an animal mom. A lot of animal moms are protective. Irish is protective about her litter. Animal moms love their babies. Puppies are so cute when they are with their moms. Puppies are funny to play with. I love to touch the puppies. I also love when they bite my ears. It makes me happy when they play with me. Puppies are so cute when they are just born and I love it when puppies are asleep because they are cute being asleep. Michael Wilmes Mater Dei

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GROCERY 239-0528 • MEAT DEPT. 239-0529

GROCERY 252-0388 • MEAT DEPT. 252-0389

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26 The grid below is filled with kitten faces. Match each group of kittens on the right with the same four kitten faces, grouped in the exact same position, on the large grid on the left.

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In this two-player game, Player A uses a BLUE crayon, Player B uses an RED crayon. Take turns drawing a horizontal or vertical line between two dots. The player who draws the line that completes each square gets 1 POINT. If there is a dog biscuit in that square, the player earns 3 BONUS POINTS.

ÂŠ Vicki Whiting May 2016

2016 May 1st is a day of celebration around the world. One tradition is to secretly hang a basket of flowers on a neighbor’s doorknob.

Write down all the ways your mom is special. See if you can turn the words into a poem or song. Mother’s Day Make trail mix. Stir nuts, dried fruit, pretzels, raisins, and chocolate chips together.

Show your teacher how much you appreciate all they do for you.

This is time for the annual celebration of books for young people and the joy of reading. National Book Week Plan a family day. Go for a hike, have a marathon board-game day, or clean the attic together.

This is a great day to start a spring clean up of your room. Plan what you can achieve for each day of the week.

Try something Have you read new in your salads: The Night at the raisins, grapes, Museum by Milan cranberries, Trenc? Check it sunflower seeds, out at your library or orange tidbits. this week.

National Chocolate Chip Day

t Nighhe at t u m e Mus

In today’s This Canadian public newspaper, holiday celebrates see how many the birthday of These are the first professions or Queen Victoria. fruits to ripen in jobs you can find the spring so get a mentioned. Is bowl and enjoy! there mention of a career you would National like to pursue? Victoria Day Strawberry Month Look for the beauty in nature. Take note of puffy clouds, tall trees, beautiful flowers, and amazing flying, walking, or crawling critters.

31 This is a day of remembrance to honor those who died serving the country. Memorial Day

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Make a poster to draw attention to the dangers of smoking. World No Tobacco Day

Cinco de Mayo Look up recipes to prepare a Mexican dinner tonight.

List all of the different varieties of pets you can think of, then list all the things you would need if you owned those pets. National Pet Week

What will the weather be today? Check your local newspaper’s website for a forecast.

It’s Family Movie Night! Pop some popcorn and enjoy a movie at home.

Pretend you are a tour guide. Where would you take a visitor around your home town?

Family Movie Night Look at old photos with your mom or dad. Ask them to tell you stories about your baby and toddler days.

Look at photos in the newspaper. Draw bubbles and give each person in the picture something funny to say.

Go ahead — have some fun! It’s National Dance Like a Chicken Day!

Put a line of tape on the floor and pretend to walk the tightrope.

Set up an obstacle course in your backyard and compete against all your friends for the fastest time.

Wear an apron and serve dinner to your family. Ask for a tip— a sweet note on a napkin!

Protect yourself in the sun. Wear sunscreen, especially as you get outside more in the warm weather.

Look online to find out when the public pool nearest you opens.

Write a story about your pretend night in a museum. Who or what comes to life when the doors are locked?

Circus Day Renew your family’s plans for what you should do if approached by a stranger.

In today’s newspaper, check the datelines to see where each article took place. Find the story that happened closest to you.

Sunscreen Day

There’s an old saying: “April showers bring May flowers.” How many of each kind of flower can you find on this page?

Tick the box on each day when you have completed 15 minutes of reading. Children who develop a love of reading will become better students and build a better future. www.NIESiouxland.com

28 The bills and coins you use to buy things in your country can look a lot different from the money, or currency, that is used in other countries.

People who have trouble seeing or reading can tell the difference between coins that are worth different amounts of money when the coins are different shapes and sizes.

20¢

25¢

15¢

Some coins in the African nation of Swaziland have scalloped edges. Find the two identical Swaziland coins. Standards Link: Economics: Know that different currencies are used in different countries.

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5¢

50¢

The euro is the money used by most countries in Europe. Before the euro was introduced, most European countries had their own currency, meaning their own coins and banknotes. When they traveled, people had to change money each time they came to a new country. For example, in Germany, you paid in Deutschmarks, but if you left Germany and traveled to France, you had to exchange your Deutschmarks for French francs. And Europe has many countries close together, which made for a lot of money changing! The money used in China and Japan today was developed from the silver dollars introduced by European and American traders. The dollars were called yuan in China and yen in Japan. Translated, these words mean “round coins.” www.NIESiouxland.com

The word peso, meaning weight in Spanish, was the name of a coin that originated in Spain. Peso is now the name of money in several former Spanish colonies. The countries next to sums with even numbers use pesos.

DID YOU KNOW? FUN FACTS ABOUT AMERICAN CURRENCY

MONEY CALCULATOR COINS DOLLAR FRANCE EURO PESOS BILLS POUND FOREIGN DESIGN YEN ITALY

Find the words by looking up, down, backwards, forwards, sideways and diagonally.

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F O R E I G N U N O

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American currency has a very interesting and colorful history. Below you will find just a few of the most interesting facts about money, details about its past and new changes in the future. A penny costs 2.4 cents to manufacture. There is more Monopoly money printed every year than actual cash. The largest denomination of US Currency was the $100,000 bill. Americans spend $117 billion each year on fast food. The U.S. has been making money since 1792. Coins have ridges to protect against counterfeiting. A $1 bill lasts 18 months; $5 bill, two years; $10 bill, three years; $20 bill, four years; and $50 and $100 bills, nine years. Coins can usually survive in circulation for about 30 years. Living Presidents are banned from having their faces on currency. Abraham Lincoln was the first American to be pictured on an American coin in 1909 In the year 2020 the image of Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill will be replaced with the portrait of Harriet Tubman, an abolitionist from the 1800’s who helped rescue slaves. These are only a few of the fun facts about the money we use every day. See if you can dig up other cool facts about American currency!

ALISHA RINKER

PERSONAL BANKER ~ WESTSIDE BRANCH

WELLS FARGO MONEY MATTERS TIPS FOR KIDS!

2220 HAMILTON BOULEVARD

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30 IOWA KINDER KIDS

I like my school because it is awesome! Daniel F. I like my teacher because she buys snack out of her own money. Ozzy C. I like my school because it is made out of brick. Matthew C. I like my school because it is my favorite school. Timera W. I like my school because I love my teacher. Nevaida B. I see a frog. Byckey F. My teacher is awesome and she is nice. Zavion W. I like my teacher so much. Achilles H. I like the classroom because it has a lot of stuff. I like my teacher because she helps us learn. Lylli H. I like my teacher because she does fun stuff with us. Kandon T. I like my teacher because she gave me pizza yesterday. Miguel A. I like my teacher because my teacher gave us pizza yesterday. Cesar B. I like my teacher because she is nice. Daylen K. The thing I like most about being a teacher is that I get to help kids learn, have a positive impact on their lives, see their growth, and most of all see their smiling faces. I have wanted to be a teacher since I was in kindergarten. I have had great teachers in my life. They have helped shape me into the person and teacher I am today. I can still remember being in kindergarten and how much my teacher cared for me. I hope to be a positive impact on my students just like my teachers were for me. I enjoy teaching. Every day is different, every year is different, and every child is different. Teaching is very rewarding. Thanks to Kids Scoop, I really enjoying getting to know other kindergarten students across the U.S. by reading their writing. I hope to continue this and do more next year. Ms. Junger

TEXAS KINDER KIDS

Our Texas Kinders enjoyed the warm sun and weather this past month and learned a great deal about being a scientist. They explored the great outdoors and took time to really notice and listen to nature. These are a few of the photos that they took with some honest responses about recording nature in an outdoor classroom! Amery

“I see a ladybug and it is red!”

Thomas “I saw little branches coming out of the tree. The lens made them look BIG.” Nicholas “I found a ladybug. Scientists don’t hurt anything!” Rosy

“I was checking on a butterfly. If I use the circle thing…I can see it more better.”

Ms. D’s Kinders had some thoughts about teaching and learning and wanted to share those thoughts with our readers….at the age of 5 or 6, they are pretty insightful about school. Teachers are art persons and they learned a lot when they were kids. Teachers are nice and surprise us. She (our teacher) is a grown up and she loves us. Teachers teach you math and centers and playing on the playground about being friends. My teach is cute! She gives us a lot of work. She makes us happy.

IOWA KINDER KIDS

TEXAS KINDER KIDS LOVIN’ PURPLE! NEW JERSEY KINDER KIDS

IN APRIL, KID SCOOP NEWS VISITED ALL OF THE ELEMENTARY GRADES IN THE WEST MONONA SCHOOL DISTRICT. STUDENTS LEARNED A LITTLE ABOUT CHILDREN’S BOOK AUTHORS AND ILLUSTRATORS AND ABOUT PUBLISHING THEIR OWN WRITING AND PROJECTS IN KID SCOOP NEWS. CHILDREN OF ALL AGES WERE ALSO DELIGHTED TO LEARN A LITTLE “JUGGLING” WHICH IS A DESIGNATED READING ACTIVITY FOR EARLY LEARNERS. IMAGINE THE PRINCIPAL WALKING BY THE CLASSROOM AND IT IS ALIVE WITH YOUNG JUGGLERS! A BIG THANK YOU TO PRINCIPAL MARY BLACK AND THIRD GRADE TEACHER JENNIFER BECHTEL FOR ARRANGING THE VISITS. THE STUDENTS WERE WONDERFUL PARTICIPANTS AND LISTENERS! To adopt a classroom, please call 712-293-4328

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31 U is for Utensil u is for utensil Cut out the utensils and glue them in the correct position.

Learning Buddies: Read the two phrases aloud. Have your child read with you. Trace the uppercase and lowercase letter U. Say the letter as you trace it.

How many words or pictures can you find on this page that start with the sound the letter U makes in the word utensil?

How many Hey Diddle Diddle The cat and the fiddle, The cow jumped over the moon. The little dog laughed to see such fun, And the dish ran away with the spoon!

Letter Identification With your child, look through the newspaper to find pictures of things that begin with the same sound as the letter U in utensil.

Math Play

Point to the number 3 in the newspaper. Have your child say the number and, if it’s large enough, have your child trace the number.

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Utensils Help

Utensils help us eat. They are a kind of tool. With your child, look through the newspaper for other tools and discuss how they help people work.

My Phone Number

With your child, find and circle the numbers of your phone number on one newspaper page. Use a crayon or marker to draw a line connecting the numbers, in the same order, as they appear in your phone number. Repeat on another page.

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Newspaper Count Look through the newspaper and count the number of: • elbows • chins • mouths • knees

uniforms

How many

unicorns

Use Your Memory

Have your child look at a picture in the newspaper for 10 seconds. Then cover it and see if your child can remember at least ONE thing from the picture.

Learning Buddies: Trace and say the number. Read the questions. Touch and count to find the answers.

Make a Meal

Have your child cut out pictures of food from the newspaper to make a pretend meal. Glue these pictures onto a paper plate and stage a tea party. Talk about nutrition and see if you are “eating” a balanced meal.

32 THE STAFF AT KID SCOOP NEWS HAVE CHOSEN TO PUT IN A SPECIAL POEM THIS MONTH WRITTEN FROM A LOVE ONLY A SIBLING CAN GIVE. WE WILL CONTINUE OUR MONTHLY BOOK REVIEWS HERE NEXT MONTH.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain

My Brother Nick

The adventures of a boy growing up in a nineteenth-century Mississippi River town as he plays hooky on an island, witnesses a crime, hunts for the pirates’ treasure, and becomes lost in a cave. In this classic story, Twain’s cast of characters includes the irrepressible Tom Sawyer and his best friend, Huck Finn as they find all sorts of trouble in nineteenth century rural America.

One of my first memories of Nick took place on the cold cement of our front porch. I looked at him, He looked at me, With a pair of bright green safety scissors in his hand. Now, one thing you should know is that Bright green safety scissors, a girl with long blonde hair, And a seven-year old Nick Should never be combined. Let’s just say I ended up with a hot new hairstyle And Nick ended up with a Mom yelling at him about the girl’s dance recital later that day. As I look back, I have a lot of memories that took place in a building that I do not remember the location of. A lot of families were there. Parents… And kids. My parents would go into a room with the others. Nick would go into a different room with most of the other kids. I would go play board games with a woman I do not remember the name of. I can recall my mom buying a variety of merchandise there. Every item had the same pattern of Red Blue And yellow Puzzle pieces.

Tom Sawyer Island

hiddenmickeys.org/Disneyland/Secrets/Frontier/TomSawyer.html Fun facts about Tom Sawyer Island at Disneyland.

Coloring Tom Sawyer

supercoloring.com/pages/the-adventures-of-tom-sawyer Print and color these on paper or click on Color Online to color them digitally.

Fun Trivia

funtrivia.com/html5/index.cfm?qid=132678 If you’ve read the book, here’s a fun quiz to see how much you can remember.

Mark Twain Biography

biography.com/people/mark-twain-9512564 Mark Twain was the pen name of Samuel L. Clemens. Apart from writing novels, he was also a riverboat pilot, a journalist and an inventor.

I remember days in Walmart where Nick and I left for the car before Mom and Dad finished even half of the shopping list. I remember Nick being in tears because of how many people were in the store. I remember the anxiety attacks. I remember the panic attacks. I remember holding him and comforting him and him doing the same for me when I needed it. Nick has autism. Asperger’s Syndrome to be exact. But don’t you dare let that change your idea of him. Don’t you dare. Because Autism is more than what you see. Autism is more than what you hear. Autism is more than a side-effect from a vaccine. Autism is more than a kid with special needs. Autism is more than a simple brain disorder. More than a statistic. More than a puzzle piece pattern. More than a panic attack in the middle of Walmart Autism Is So Much More. And my brother Nick Is so much more Than Autism. Lydia Prior Lawton-Bronson

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Grade 11

Can you do something physically active for one hour every day of the week? Complete the circle charts below, one for each day of the week. Each wedge in the charts equals 10 minutes. If you dance for 20 minutes, color in two wedges. If you play basketball for one hour, fill in an entire circle.

1. In the United States, Julia Ward Howe first proposed Mother’s Day in 1872. In 1914 President Woodrow Wilson made Mother’s Day a national holiday. How many years passed from the time Mother’s Day was first proposed in the United States until it was made a national holiday? 2. Carla bought a bouquet of red, pink and white roses for his mother on Mother’s Day. Two-thirds of the roses are pink. If there are a dozen roses in the bouquet, how many of the roses are not pink? 3. Sam made three Mother’s Day cards. It took him twelve minutes to make each card. If he started working on the cards at 10:30 a.m., what time did he finish the cards? 4. Thomas and Nigel are brothers. They wanted to buy flowers for their mother, but neither had enough money. They decided to put their money together. The flowers they bought cost $17.50. How much money did each brother spend if each paid half? ANSWERS: 2. Four are not pink 3. 11:06 a.m Who?

4. $8.75

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1. 42 years

Mom, I know a person who thinks they’re an owl!

Now I know TWO people!

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34 Page PAGE47

Unscrambled Fact

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Circle the kids doing a resistance exercise.

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Find 8 things in the pond that don’t belong.

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W R P A T R V P A S

Find the two identical Swaziland coins.

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M Y K S S A P M O C

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How many pepper plants can Gerry plant? 25

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Number the pictures in order.

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F O R E I G N U N O To adopt a classroom, please call 712-293-4328

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NIE SIOUXLAND

Each month, we share art selections from our regional schools in hopes we might recognize students for being in art programs that are essential to the learning process, designed to create inquiry, and expand critical thinking in our students. Art inspires students to express themselves in many different ways. It encourages inventiveness and fosters innovative thinking. Without the creative arts, our students would be missing an incredibly important part of life. Poppin’Bottles n’ Brushes is now a proud sponsor of literacy through the Kid Scoop News Siouxland connection. Each month, art teachers from throughout Siouxland may send in student work for publication. Two students’ names will be drawn each month and those students will receive gift certificates for a two-person session at Poppin’ Bottles n’ Brushes. Sarah Petersen and Jen Bower, owners of Poppin’Bottles n’ Brushes, delight in bringing the world of art of students of all ages.

“BEST OF CLASS” TEACHER OF THE MONTH WINNER, MRS. ORTEGREN

May & June Drawing Winners! This month four student names were drawn for the Poppin’ Bottles n’ Brushes certificates. We hope you enjoy your personal art experience at Poppin’Bottles n’ Brushes. In the June issue look forward to seeing all of the art works submitted by these wonderful art teachers.

Ashley Le

Crescent Park 4th Grade

Ben H.

Leeds Elementary 2nd Grade

Each month Sugar Shack Bakery owner Claudia Hessa and Kid Scoop News Siouxland sponsor a special “Teacher of the Month” award. Every day teachers inspire the minds and imaginations of children throughout Siouxland and this month in particular, a teacher who works hard to bring the creative spirit to her classroom, was chosen. This month, third grade teacher, Kate Ortegren from Hinton was chosen by several of her students. Mrs. Ortegren inspires her students by including integrated projects for different classes and believes that children who are engaged in the process of learning, do well in school. In fact, Mrs. Ortegren was on television this month sharing some insights to some major STEM projects being done in class and in their primary school at Hinton. KUDOS to Mrs. Ortegren and as the students’ notes suggest, she can even make “boring things fun!” Mrs. Ortegren can make even boring things fun. (Like math!) She is nice and she never yells at us. She is the best teacher ever. My older sister had her and she said, “Mrs. Ortegren is the best!” I think she really deserves this award a lot. I mean a lot, a lot, a lot..lot…lot! She is amazing…she is the bomb! Carlton T. Hinton Elementary Grade 3 Mrs. Ortegren is the best because she lets us have free time even if we get a few words wrong. We get homework once a week, and she always sends our work to Kid Scoop News. She is the best teacher I have ever had. Once she let us have an IPAD day. We can read whenever we have time, and she even brings new books in for us to read. Kyle L. Hinton Elementary Grade 3 My teacher is the best because she makes learning fun. She gives us homework once a week, and she is the best teacher ever. She even lets us have a little free time on Friday. Natalie Hinton Elementary Grade 3

Kaleb Kople

Liberty Elementary 2nd Grade To adopt a classroom, please call 712-293-4328

Christian Spencer Lincoln Elementa ry 3rd Grade

My teacher is the best because she is nice and she never yells at us. She likes the Iowa Hawkeyes. She turns even boring things into fun…like math! She is my favorite teacher ever. I told my mom to recommend her. I love Mrs. Ortegren and I really think she deserves this award a lot…and I mean a lot…A LOT! She helps me with any problem, when I am stuck and I can’t get the answer. She is the absolutely best teacher ever! Hannah P. Hinton Elementary Grade 3 www.NIESiouxland.com

k n a Th 36

from

THANKS

You!

The

Dental Depot Dr. Richard Hettinger

Your Company Here

Tanworld & Lori Lee’s Bruce & Jeanette Hopkins United Bank of Iowa, Moville Book People Triview/Quality Telecommunications KVLZ Custom Bailing, Climbing Hill Akron Gold & Silver Bluebird Springs Orchard - Akron Deck Law Paul & Tamme Saul

Classroom Sponsors

Yellow Rose Catering - Moville Gretchen Gondek Dr. Stee Maxwell Helen Maxwell Dr. Earl Maxwell Sterk Financial - Dakota Dunes Granny Stitches Friendship & Service Club, Akron, IA Judie Uhlir El Forastero MC Inc.

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Bill & Becky McKenny Doug Harrold Allan Wall In Memory of Gene Windeshausen, Principal at Crescent Park & Bryant In Memory of Amzia & Iva VanLaningham Rebo’s Bob & Sharon Kirschbaum McClure Engineering Lester A. Juon

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Partners In Education AFSCME Local 212 Anonymous Sponsor Charlies Irwin Painting Lilly Family Dentistry Belle Touché Chesterman’s Summit Dental Larry & Jeanene Book First Premier Bank Bishop Heelan Catholic Schools Missouri Valley PTO Prince Manufacturing

New Horizons United Church of Christ Craft Auto Body Quality Backhoe Service CD Norvell PC, Tax & Accounting Services Cardinal Public Relations Northwestern Mutual